Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: Paul George named best player they can sign

By Nick Ziegler

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 3: A close up shot of Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on January 3, 2018. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 3: A close up shot of Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on January 3, 2018. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Bleacher Report recently named the best player every team could sign this offseason. Who was the choice for the Los Angeles Lakers?

Coming into this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are poised to be major players in free agency. After making a trade during the season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers gave themselves that ability to land two max free agents.

With a good young core in place, the Lakers will be looking to add an All-Star to help the franchise take the next step. Last offseason, the Lakers made it clear that they would like to add Paul George to the team, as they reportedly tried to trade for him.

The Pacers ended up sending George to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they fell way short of expectations in the playoffs. With a player option for next season, George will almost surely be declining that option and testing the waters of free agency.

Recently, Bleacher Report named the best player for every team in free agency. For the Lakers, they chose Paul George as the best player they could get. Here’s what they had to say.

"In many ways, the Lakers should prefer George to James. His starting salary is more than $4 million cheaper, and every dollar counts as they look to flesh out the rest of the roster, render a verdict on Julius Randle’s future and, possibly, try to cobble together blockbuster trade offers for available or disgruntled superstars."

Naming George as the best player for the Lakers to get over LeBron is interesting, but does have some positive points. Most notably would be the age difference between the two. Since the Lakers are very young, their current core might be more than one year away from being ready to compete for a title.

Adding George would give the Lakers the option to continue to build with their young core, as they would likely bring back Julius Randle. Obviously for the Lakers, the dream is to sign both LeBron and George. However, the Lakers might need to have George on the roster in order to convince James to come to Los Angeles. If that’s the case, then signing George is certainly the best player they can get if they need him to get James.

Next: 5 Centers to target in the 2018 NBA Draft

There has been so much talk of George coming to the Lakers that it would almost be more surprising if he doesn’t at this point. However, there is still a lot of time between now and the start of free agency.

Home/Lakers News