For the fourth straight year, the Los Angeles Lakers are out of the NBA Playoffs and headed for the lottery. Instead of awaiting for the draft with hopes of drafting a star player, the Lakers can look to this year’s playoffs for free agents to target in the summer.
The NBA salary cap is projected at $101 million for the 2017-18 season. With L.A.’s current salary, which unfortunately includes the atrocious Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng contracts, they don’t have room to sign more than one max free agent.
They have to choose between signing a player to a max deal this summer or waiting until the 2018 summer to sign a max player like Paul George. No matter which route the Lakers decide to take, there will be both max players and quality contributors in this year’s free agency class. Quite a few of them happen to be on teams in the running for a championship.
Here is a list of five free agents currently in the playoffs that the Lakers should consider targeting this summer.
5. Nenê (unrestricted)
At 33-years-old Nenê may be an aged vet, but he is a solid center that still has athleticism and power. He is having a strong tenure with the Rockets playing alongside James Harden and is proving to still be a consistent contributor. L.A. is a very young team and when considering the expected departures of Metta World Peace and Nick Young, bringing in a solid veteran with some game left in the tank could be a move worth making.
Of course, a player that’s been around as long as Nenê is likely to prefer a team in win-now mode, but that shouldn’t stop the Lakers from seeking him out. The pros to picking up a player like Nenê is consistent production while being salary cap friendly.
4. Tim Hardaway Jr. (restricted)
Hardaway is a young shooting guard in the midst of the best season in his career. He only averages 11.9 points a game, but he had some big moments late in the regular season that included an inspiring performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Hawks to victory.
There are many rumors that the Lakers may deal Jordan Clarkson, but whether or not that happens Hardaway can step in as a starting shooting guard for L.A. while Clarkson remains the sixth man he was for most of the 2016 season. Hardaway’s play this year will definitely earn him a bigger contract, however, much like Nenê, he’ll still come at a reasonable price for a team with cap issues like the Lakers.
3. Greg Monroe (player option)
Despite the presumably bad blood between multiple Laker players and Monroe, the center is a tough old-school big man that would improve L.A.’s front court. Mozgov proved to be a nonfactor and although Ivica Zubac has a bright future, he’s still a work in progress. That means the Lakers need a big man and the combination of Monroe and Julius Randle would definitely make their front court more formidable.
However, Monroe is already on a team in the postseason playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, so unless the Lakers are willing to pay big bucks to lure him away chances are he uses his player option to stay in Milwaukee.
2. Gordon Hayward (player option)
Hayward is another player in the playoffs having a career year. This season Hayward saw his first all-star bid averaging 22 points and 5.7 RPG. He is versatile forward but he could also work as a guard in L.A. More importantly, he is one of the best young players in the league right now and he’s in his prime. Signing Hayward may be doable if the Lakers see a real fit for him and are willing to pay the price.
Postseason or not, Hayward is likely to sign elsewhere if the Jazz don’t offer him enough. Plenty of teams with cap space should be after him, so if L.A. wants a shot at the All-Star, they have to be prepared to spend.
1. Blake Griffin (player option)
There have been many rumors about Griffin opting out of his contract with the Clippers, and the Lakers were one of the teams on his potential landing list. Although it seems highly unlikely that Griffin will want to join a rebuilding team, his business ventures outside of basketball make switching locker rooms an appealing option for the star forward.
Griffin is an All-Star that could easily change the Lakers’ fortunes with the team’s young pieces to put around him. Acquiring him would send Julius Randle to the bench, but Randle coming in with Jordan Clarkson would make a serious second unit. Grabbing Griffin would mean dishing out a max contract, but if L.A. prefers to rebuild now instead of waiting until 2018 he is the best free agent on the board with a rumored interest in playing for the purple and gold.
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Which of these free agents would best fit on the Lakers? Do you think they have a chance at signing them? Let us know below!