After claiming Carlos Boozer off waivers and under the assumption Ryan Kelly will return (given the Lakers haven’t rescinded his qualifying offer), the Lakers have limited room on their roster and a gluttony of power forwards. A quick look at the depth chart leaves one glaring hole.
PG – Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash, Jordan Clarkson, Kendall Marshall
SG – Kobe Bryant, Nick Young
SF –
PF – Carlos Boozer, Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly
C – Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, Robert Sacre
Notice anything missing? Say a small forward? Sure, both Bryant and Young could spend time at the small forward, and even Ryan Kelly played there for stretches last year, but the roster is lacking a clear small forward option. With one spot remaining to sign a player, it seems nearly a given that the Lakers use it on a wing player.
Fortunately enough, the list of possible options is still deep and intriguing. Here’s a look, in order from least to most likely, of the five players the Lakers could sign to fill out their roster.