The Los Angeles Lakers may have made one of the biggest blockbuster trades in the history of the league by acquiring Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans to play alongside LeBron James, but an NBA team is made up of more than just two players.
The Lakers obviously know this, and with ample money to spend this summer even after landing Davis, Los Angeles is surely going to fill out the rest of its roster with some capable role players.
One such area the Lakers need to shore up is the point guard position. They traded Lonzo Ball in the Davis deal, and Rajon Rondo does not seem all that likely to return, neither financially nor stylistically.
The good news for Los Angeles is that there will be some solid, affordable options out there this offseason.
Here are three floor generals the Lakers should consider signing.
3. Cory Joseph
Cory Joseph spent the last couple of seasons with the Indiana Pacers in a bench role, and while he was hardly spectacular, he was solid and is coming off a 2018-19 campaign in which he averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Joseph is never going to light up the box score, but he is a deceptively athletic point guard who can defend his position very well and has playoff experience. As a matter of fact, Joseph won a title (albeit in a limited role) with the San Antonio Spurs back in 2014.
The main issue with Joseph as far as the Lakers are concerned is that he is not a great 3-point shooter, as he made just 32.2 percent of his triples this past season and is a lifetime 32.7 percent shooter from deep. With LA having floor spacing issues to begin with, Joseph wouldn't really help there.
Still, his defensive chops and the fact that he takes good care of the basketball are both big positives.
2. Quinn Cook
So, Quinn Cook is really more of a 2-guard in a point guard's body, but he is certainly an interesting free agent and could end up serving as a solid pickup for someone, like the Lakers.
Think of Cook as Patty Mills lite. He is not as pesky of a defender and isn't really capable of Mills' scoring binges, but he is a very good perimeter shooter.
Cook made 40.5 percent of his treys with the Golden State Warriors this season and was a member of the Warriors' title team last year, draining 44.2 percent of his triples in 33 games.
Again, the Lakers really just need guys who can fit their system and fill out holes, and Cook's ability to spread the floor and make 3s in big games would be a boon to LA's offense.
1. Darren Collison
That brings us to arguably the best affordable option available for Los Angeles: Darren Collison.
Collison is the very definition of a consistent veteran, a guy who is going to get you 11-12 points per game year in and year out. While he won't dazzle you, he won't mess things up, either.
The most impressive thing about Collison is his ability to hit the 3-ball, as he made 40.7 percent of his treys this past season and actually made a league-best 46.8 percent of his triples last year.
Now, the caveat is that Collison isn't exactly doing it on high volume, but that doesn't change the fact that he can space the floor, as he is a lifetime 39.4 percent long-distance shooter.
The main downside to Collison's game is his mediocre (at best) defense, but he really is a fine point guard.
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