Lakers: 5 Under the Radar Free Agents LA Should Consider

After the team waived Jose Calderon on Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers have an open roster spot. Here are five under the radar free agents they should consider.

The rumored Jose Calderon buyout was confirmed Monday and now the Lakers have an open roster spot. Now what?

Well, since their guard depth is paper thin right now, signing a young playmaker or defensive guard wouldn’t be a terrible start. Yes, Tyler Ennis just came on board, but even with Ennis, the Lakers are limited to only four guards.

Because their needs are in the backcourt, newly waived players like Jared Sullinger, Terrence Jones and Andrew Bogut will not be on this list. We’ve also decided that we would count D-League players and CBA players toward the end of their contracts as free agents.

So without further ado, here are five players the Lakers should consider to fill their vacant roster spot.

Jimmer Fredette

Before you start laughing, hear me out.

Selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Jimmer Fredette has not and will likely never live up to his draft hype. While a handful of guards drafted after him, namely Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Isaiah Thomas, have signed multi-million dollar contracts since the 2011 draft, Fredette has bounced around the league quite a bit. Since being drafted in 2011, Jimmer has played with five different teams.

After struggling to stick on an NBA roster, Fredette decided to take his talents to China, where a number of former NBA players are working for an NBA comeback. Fredette has enjoyed great success in his lone season with the Shanghai Sharks, averaging 37.4 points, 4.3 assists and 8 rebounds per game.

He made headlines just last week after scoring 73 points in a double overtime game with the Sharks. No, that wasn’t a typo. 73 points.

Will that scoring translate to the NBA? Doubtful, but it’s worth taking a flier out on a guy that was the best player in college basketball just over five years ago.

In his senior season with Brigham Young University, Fredette put up a gaudy 28.3 points per game, earning him National Player of the Year honors by the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated. He was also awarded “Best Male College Athlete” at the ESPYs in 2011.

Can you think of anything better than “Jimmer Mania: Los Angeles”? Probably, but imagine how funny it would be if he proved himself to be an NBA player and won the Lakers a few games.

Lance Stephenson

Remember Lance Stephenson? The 26-year-old from Brooklyn, New York went from being a rising star on an up and coming Indiana Pacers team, with All-Stars Paul George and Roy Hibbert, to the 15th best player on a non-playoff team. Think that’s hyperbolic? Hardly.

Stephenson signed two 10-day contracts with the Minnesota Timberwolves and failed to land a multi-year contract with the team. Is he really that bad or has he just been asked to do too much?

When Stephenson left Indiana to sign with the Hornets, he signed on to be the guy alongside Kemba Walker. Unfortunately, Stephenson wasn’t the type of player everyone thought he was.. Charlotte found that out after just one season and let him walk in free agency.

Not even the Clippers, who have infamously had a terrible bench for years, kept him around. Instead, Doc Rivers packaged Stephenson with an unprotected first-rounder and traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jeff Green. The Clippers traded a first round pick for Jeff Green. That will never fail to be hilarious.

So maybe Stephenson isn’t a starting-caliber shooting guard. Then what is he? Well for the Lakers, he could be a serviceable backup shooting guard. After shipping Lou Williams and Marcelo Huertas to Houston and waiving Jose Calderon, the Lakers’ guard depth is thinner than Brandon Ingram‘s legs.

Stephenson could be the second guard off the bench and play alongside Jordan Clarkson in the second unit. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective, which is good considering he’ll have to share the backcourt with Clarkson. He would also add a defensive balance to a team that needs it badly. “Born Ready” was No. 6 six in the league in Defensive Win Shares during the 2013-14 season.

At just 26 years old, Stephenson has a chance to turn his NBA career around. While mid-career jumps are a rarity, it would be worth giving him a shot. If anything, he can be there for the free agency pitch for Paul George along with Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who coached George and Stephenson in Indiana from 2011-2013.

David Nwaba

Of all the names on this list so far, David Nwaba is probably the least known. After going undrafted out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Nwaba has spent the last year in the NBA Development League with the Los Angeles Lakers D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders.

During his time the D-Fenders, Nwaba has made a name for himself. He’s not a prolific shooter (shooting 28.6 percent from 3) but he’s as good as it gets when it comes to attacking the rim.

Nwaba is also an excellent defender, only trailing his 7-foot-3 teammate David Foster for blocks on the D-Fenders. His nearly 7-foot wingspan helps a ton with that. Nwaba’s solid all-around game is the reason he leads the D-Fenders with a +6.4 Real Box Plus/Minus.

While other D-Fenders like Vander Blue and Josh Magette are putting up the big numbers, Nwaba arguably projects as a better NBA player than both of them because of his intangibles. With the Lakers, he would have a carved out role as a defense-first guard.

If the Lakers don’t call him up before the end of the season, don’t be surprised if he gets a training camp invite when summer rolls around.

R.J. Hunter

When the Lakers were on the clock with No. 27 in 2015, there were still a few “big name” players available like Motnrezl Harrell, Kevon Looney and R.J. Hunter. However, in a bold move by the front office, the Lakers opted not to take a household name and instead drafted Larry Nance Jr. out of the University of Wyoming. Initially, this didn’t sit well with the fans.

At the time, fans didn’t know who or what a Larry Nance Jr. was, but they did have a general feeling that the Lakers should have drafted R.J. Hunter and at the time, they had the right to feel that.

During his time at Georgia State Univerity playing under his father, Ron Hunter, R.J. developed a reputation as a lights-out shooter. His most notable shot, of course, was in 2015 when he stunned Baylor in the NCAA tournament with a game-winning buzzer beater, sending his dad into a frenzy on the sideline.

Since then, Hunter’s star hasn’t shined as bright. After being taken with the No. 28 pick in the 2015 draft, R.J. hasn’t enjoyed the same success Nance has. Even Looney and Harrell have been playing meaningful minutes on their respective teams. Hunter, on the other hands, has already played for two teams, including the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. Currently, Hunter plays for the Brooklyn Nets‘ D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

The hope is that Hunter found his stroke in the D-League and can be the spot-up shooter on the wing that the Lakers need. If Jordan Clarkson can rediscover his patented drive and kick from his rookie season, Hunter would get a ton of open looks.

The Lakers are at a point in their season where they can take risks on guys like Hunter. Worst case, Hunter is just as bad with Los Angeles and he’s gone after his first 10-day contract. Best case, he’s the 3-point specialist he was projected to be.

Anthony Brown

With an open roster spot, the Lakers have a chance to right the wrong they made this past summer. For those that don’t know, Anthony Brown was taken with the No. 32 pick in the 2015 draft by Los Angeles. However, after a rough rookie season, the Lakers decided to waive Brown in favor of 37-year-old Metta World Peace.

No one saw it coming, especially because Brown had a decent training camp. His shots were starting to fall with some consistency and his defense looked as sharp as ever. But apparently, Metta’s locker room presence was far more valuable to the front office. Now the Lakers have a chance to have their cake and eat it too.

The Los Angeles native and former Stanford product is tearing up in the D-League. Not only did he make the 2017 D-League All-Star game, but he is also ranked the No. 3 NBA prospect in the D-League.

Brown looks much more confident with his shot and playing meaningful minutes with NBA rims and NBA-caliber players have helped his development. This would be a homecoming of sorts for Brown, who still is very close with his former teammates.

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But what do you guys think? Who should the Lakers sign to fill that empty roster spot? Let us know in the comments below!