Lakers: An Early Primer of the 2017 Free Agent Class

While the Lakers don’t have the cap space they had last summer, they might still be able to make a splash in free agency this summer. Here are a few names that should be available.

Looking ahead to the 2017 Free Agency class, the Lakers will have approximately $21 million to sign whomever they may please. If the Lakers didn’t have the contracts of Luol Deng and/or Timofey Mozgov, they could’ve made a huge splash in the upcoming summer. Hopefully, the team can unload one, or both of these contracts so that they can sign either a superstar or a role player who will play solid rotation minutes. There will be a lot of big-name players who may potentially help the Lakers in the 2017-2018 season, let’s take a look at them and determine if the team should pursue any of them.

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Steph Curry: The former two-time MVP will finally get his money this summer, after spending the last few years as the third or fourth highest paid player on his own team, he will command a max contract. In a dream world, Steph Curry would spurn the Golden State Warriors and make the jump to landlocked Los Angeles, however that has almost a zero percent chance of happening.

Blake Griffin: After playing for the rival Clippers for his entire career, Griffin could be on the move to a different team for the 2017 season. He could think the Clippers aren’t going to win anytime soon and decide to jump ship, in order to win a ‘ship. Would he seriously think about switching from one LA team to the other? The odds are forever against us.

Gordon Hayward: The Jazz have become a defensive team for the ages, but will the offensive firepower of the team be wearing a different jersey next year? Of all the players on this list, Gordon Hayward is the most likely to leave his current team for another. It would be lovely if Hayward brought his scoring to LA, which the Lakers would love to have, but without unloading one of the previously mentioned contracts they will have a hard time paying him what he wants.

Paul Millsap: One of the most underrated players in the NBA could potentially leave the Hawks, as it looks like the team will not be winning the East anytime soon. After all, the team was trying to trade at the deadline but decided to backtrack and not pull the trigger. Millsap would look nice in Purple & Gold, even if he was forced to play the Center position.

Otto Porter: For the first few years of his career, Otto Porter was the proverbial “What If?” in the NBA. So far this season he’s shooting a career-best 46% from 3 and leading the NBA in the category as well. Finally living up to the potential that was promised to us, Porter will be seeking potentially a max contract, solely based on a continued upward swing for his career.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: KCP has become the sharpshooter the Pistons needed this year, but will they be able to pay him what he is seeking? Hopefully not. If the Lakers are serious about starting to become a legit contender again, they should take a long hard look at Caldwell-Pope. If he continues to progress into a 20 points per game scorer as the starting shooting guard, the Lakers will quickly jump back into prominence.

Next: The New Magic Johnson Era

The summer of 2017 could be the biggest summer in the Lakers storied franchise history, with the possibility of getting a top pick and finally signing a star. All of these players are potential game changers for the purple and gold, now we will play the waiting game to see if the team tries to persuade any of them to join the team.

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