3 Players Darvin Ham Could Lure to Bucks From Lakers Tenure
What's old became new again last week when the Milwaukee Bucks hired Darvin Ham as an assistant coach. The 50-year-old had spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading them to back-to-back playoff appearances an the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship.
While Ham's time in Hollywood left something to be desired, it wasn't all bad. Some people just make for better assistants than head coaches and that doesn't change the fact that Ham was still liked by his players even if they came up short when it mattered the most.
With the NBA offseason beginning soon, there's a possibility those who played under Ham might be willing to do it again in Milwaukee.
With that in mind, here are three former Lakers who Ham could lure to the Bucks this summer.
1. Taurean Prince, SF
After the Jae Crowder experiment was a bust, the Bucks will be looking to improve their forward depth this offseason. That's why I could see Ham attempting to lure Taurean Prince to Milwaukee.
Prince joined the Lakers on a one-year deal last offseason and ended up being one of their better depth pieces. The ex-Baylor Bear averaged 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing 27 minutes across 78 games. He also exceled at stretching the floor, averaging 1.5 assists and 4.6 three-point attempts with a 39.6% success rate.
Shooting 45.4% from three over his last 20 games: Taurean Prince π¦ pic.twitter.com/LLWke5nE7e
β Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 10, 2024
Prince's play dipped at points throughout the year, but he was still a solid contributor more often than not. He was one of Ham's more trusted players, proven by the fact that the 30-year-old saw his biggest number of starts (49) since he made 61 with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020.
The Bucks don't have a ton of money to spend this offseason, which is another reason why Prince is a great free-agent target. Signing him won't break the bank (especially at this stage of his career) and he's consistently shown that he can perform above his contract value.
With the ability to do a little bit of everything, Prince is a well-rounded player who can help the Bucks win a title next year.