Second chances for new Lakers

Three of five were on the team previously

In his first stint with the Lakers during the 201415 season, Wayne Ellington trudged through a 21win season. Now 33, he’s about to suit up with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

Dressed in a purple blazer that complemented a wide, pearly smile on Friday morning, Ellington commented that the contrast was a little bit like a popular meme: How it started versus how it’s going.

“To be now a part of this team, when you look back at that (2014-15) team, it’s just all come full circle,” Ellington said.

If there is a theme to this Lakers roster — one that encompasses the oldest member (37) to its youngest (20) — it might just be second chances.

The team introduced five new players, three of whom have been Lakers before, on Friday as free agency moves became official: Ellington, Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk all walked through the team’s El Segundo facility and were introduced as new Lakers for a team with sky-high ambitions starting this fall. They’ll be the supporting players to the foundational stars — LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis — but as the organization knows well, everyone on a championship team has an important part to play. The Lakers are betting that the newcomers will provide a more satisfying second act

to last year’s failed bid to repeat as champions.

Two of those players, Howard and Ariza, have won titles as Lakers before: Ariza in 2009, back as a 22-year-old on a team with in-his-prime Kobe Bryant, and Howard in 2020 in the NBA bubble during what was then his second goaround. Both would like to experience that feeling again — and Howard, who has noted on social media posts “#iwantmydamnparade” would like to experience all the trappings of a championship that the 2020 team never enjoyed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Seeing Milwaukee’s Deer District, a gathering of tens of thousands outside Fiserv Forum, then watching highlights from the Bucks’ title parade was bittersweet viewing.

“Having that here in L.A. would be amazing,” Howard said. “All the fans here, all the people around the world who would travel to L.A. just to be a part of a parade and just to see what love can do.”

To get there, the Lakers will have to navigate a season with what is expected to be the oldest roster in the NBA, a fact that more than a few newcomers on the team embraced and are even poking fun at themselves. Howard, who will turn 36 in December, said he was looking to add an earlier bedtime to his daily routine, and that winning a championship would bring balance to the players “because we’re old, we’re getting

grumpy.”

But age also translates to experience, which this team has more of than any other. In terms of their sheer number of All-Star and All-NBA accolades, seasons and even title experience, the Lakers see themselves as a group of players who know what it takes to win and will force opponents to contend with their veteran savvy.

While jockeying for minutes and roles was a subplot of last season’s roster, Ariza, now 36, said he wasn’t too concerned about either detail when it came to free agency discussions with the Lakers. He ultimately chose to return to L.A. in large part because his children live here, and because Westbrook helped recruit him. The minutes? A secondary concern.

“When you’re a part of or when you’re trying to win a championship the only thing that matters is the success of the team. So when the success of the team is the first thing you think about, whatever role you have on it doesn’t even matter as long as you have a role.”

Even the players who aren’t 32 or older are looking for second chances: Nunn, 26, is hoping for a shot at a title after falling to the Lakers in 2020, when he had a few sparkplug games for the Miami Heat: “I’m pretty mad about the loss, but I’m trying to get that back the upcoming year.”

Monk, 23, signed a oneyear minimum deal just four years removed from being a lottery pick for Charlotte, so far outshined by Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo who were snatched up after him.

He had a solid season last year for the Hornets, who did not re-sign him, and he is going into this season with a mentality of soaking up as much as he can from something he’s never had before: a lot of veteran teammates who have won before.

“How to be a basketball player, how to be a pro, how to work — I’m going to get everything out of this opportunity, man,” he said. “I’m just thankful to have this opportunity to be with all of these greats, and this amazing organization.”

The Lakers are expected to introduce their more high-profile acquisitions, Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, early next week. But they did welcome back Talen Horton-Tucker, who signed a three-year deal in restricted free agency.

Expect the dialogue on the Lakers’ ages to continue. Ellington noted a tweet that James sent out on Wednesday then later deleted, encouraging skeptics to keep up their jibes. It just might be that the Lakers are mature enough to keep their confidence amid the noise.