Los Angeles Lakers: 5 under the radar free agents to target
By Matt Leaman
Luke Babbitt
First up is small forward, Luke Babbitt. He’s played seven seasons in the NBA averaging just 4.7 points in 13.9 minutes of action per game. Those numbers certainly don’t look appealing to most fans at first glance.
Last season with the Miami Heat he played in 68 games, starting 55 of them, averaging 15.7 minutes a game. In his limited opportunity, he averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds. Babbitt, 28-years old, shot the ball extremely well at 41.4% last season and is a career 40.4% three-point shooter. Having a player like this would help the Lakers by coming off the bench and playing small spurts of time while being productive.
Too add, Babbitt can get it done on the defensive side of the ball also. He’s a good perimeter defender. Last season when guarding against 3 point shots, players shot 27.1%, and on shots greater than 15 feet just 33.1% against him. Both these numbers are very small sample sizes, but why not expect more of the same next year.
This past season Babbitt made just over $1.2 million. This is the sort of deal that Pelinka and Johnson would love to make. They could offer him in the ballpark of $1.5 million or so for a one year deal. Certainly not a flashy player, but one that would contribute in a positive way. Time for our second player on this list.