After accomplishing two major goals in the 2024 NBA draft, adding a sharp-shooting wing in the first round, and the feel-good story of Day 2 when Bronny James officially joined his father in LA, the Los Angeles Lakers now find themselves mere hours away from a very important free agency period, where they will help to define the final act of the “King's” illustrious career.
No pressure, right?
With over a hundred players set to hit the market this weekend, it's safe to say the Lakers will have exceptional optionality as they attempt to fill out their roster heading into the fall, but if they are wise, they should strongly consider these options, as they could help to fill some holes immediately and elevate the team's ceiling considerably into James' 22nd NBA season.
Two interesting free agents the Los Angeles Lakers should target.
2. DeMar DeRozan
When it comes to the free agent options that the Los Angeles Lakers can realistically pursue with their limited resources, it's hard to see a path where Rob Pelinka gets DeMar DeRozan to sign on the dotted line.
Sure, DeRozan is a proud son of Compton and played his college ball at USC, but unless he's willing to take an absolute bath and watch what could be his final big NBA contract feature a seven-figure number instead of an eight, there just isn't a world where he's going to end up returning home as a free agent.
But what about via a sign and trade? Sure, such deals always present a challenge to get done, but if D'Angelo Russell picks up his player option, the Lakers could ship him to Chicago if DeRozan is willing to agree to a contract at roughly the same number.
Standing 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, DeRozan is arguably the most unique player in the entire Association, a scorer who ranked second last season in clutch situations and is 31st overall in points scored in NBA history but one who does so by almost exclusively abandoning the 3-point shot, making under 30 percent of his shots on 1.6 attempts per game on his career.
Normally, the plan for winning with LeBron James is surrounding him with shooters, which is largely why the team was so excited that Dalton Knecht fell to them at pick 17, but unless the Tennessee product can develop into a third star or Austin Reeves can take a step forward towards Superstardom, DeRozan very well might be the best man for the job, as he is not only available but the sort of performer desperate to add a ring to his resume before he calls it a career.
1. Eric Gordon
If the Lakers were to sell DeRozan on coming to Los Angeles on the D-Lo deal, they would need to secure a player who can help to fill his role on the team, or at least come close to it as a combo guard who can play next to James or in his place as part of the top-8 rotation.
Of the options on the board, Eric Gordon might just fit the bill the best of all, as he has extensive experience playing on teams with championship ambitions, and even if he isn't the same player he was in his prime, he can still put in work in a similar role to D-Lo at a fraction of the price.
Beginning his career on the Lakers' cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, as a seventh overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, Gordon has averaged double-digit points per game in each of his 16 professional seasons, going from a starter to a sixth-man and every role in between as he's played alongside some of the best players in the NBA like Chris Paul, James Harden, and Kevin Duran.
In 2023-24, Gordon was tasked with filling a sixth-man role for the Suns, starting just 24 of his 68 games with the team while averaging a career-low 11 points per game on 9.1 shots per game. Still, Gordon was able to drain 3s at a 37.8 percent clip on almost six attempts per game and remains a useful player for the Suns despite having the lowest usage rate of his career at 16.5. Logging 17 percent of his minutes at the point guard spot versus 83 percent on the wings, Gordon had an on-court plus-minus of +3.6 and an on-off split of .7, further proving he remains a solid player at 35 years old.
While Gordon probably won't leave free agency with a max contract, he certainly believes he's worth more than the $3.4 million we would have made on his player option, so much so that he opted out of his deal in order to test the free agent market, whether teams like the Lakers can bid on his servives.
As things presently stand, the Lakers should probably use their mid-level exception on a wing, but if DeRozan ends up back in LA on a sign-and-trade, Gordon suddenly becomes one of the most exciting options on the board at a position of need.
Follow Us
Subscribe