Troy Daniels says Anthony Davis and Rob Pelinka recruited him to pick the Lakers over the Thunder, Warriors in free agency

The first move the Los Angeles Lakers made in free agency was signing Troy Daniels to one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum. The signing wasn’t met with much noise — good or bad — because Daniels has been a low-usage reserve for the entirety of his six-year career.

However, the one thing Daniels does really well is shoot the ball, which made him a coveted free agent by several contending teams. Daniels eventually narrowed his decision down to the Lakers, and during a conference call with reporters on Monday, he said he chose Los Angeles because they gave him the best opportunity to win.

“I think there was about two or three teams that were looking to make an offer, at the vet minimum, of course. You got to win in this league to get paid and I totally understand that. There were like three teams that were on-board. Golden State and OKC and those teams that needed shooters,” the 28-year-old shooting guard said.

Daniels also said general manager Rob Pelinka and Anthony Davis had a hand in recruiting him to the Lakers.

“Then L.A. called, and Rob Pelinka and Anthony Davis called on the phone and said, ‘Hey we need you. We need a shooter. And obviously we’re going to add more shooters to the team, but we would like for you to be part of this organization and part of this journey.’ And for me, playing for this organization as well as playing with LeBron, AD, Kuz and those guys, it’s just an unbelievable opportunity for me to showcase what I can do on a big stage,” Daniels said.

“Since I was a rookie... I’ve loved being on those types of platforms. Making game-winners in the playoffs and those atmospheres and stuff like that, it’s just unbelievable. And as a player in the NBA, you want to be in those situations. It’s one thing to play in the NBA but it’s another thing to actually play for a championship, and I’m just fortunate to be on this team.”

It’s unclear how often Daniels will get to take the last shot or play big minutes in meaningful games with how deep the Lakers are at both guard positions, but it sounds like he’ll be ready when his number is called, which is exactly what a team should want out of their reserves.

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