2. Sign a max free agent
The Lakers’ front office should try to sign Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, or Kyrie Irving, but in all likelihood their going to miss out on them.
Who’s the 4th best free agent available this summer? Nikola Vucevic.
Vucevic is ranked 7th in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus (RPM) and he’s rated 6th (minimum 15 minutes per game) in www.nba.com’s Player Impact Estimate (PIE).
If the Lakers were to sign Vucevic it would kill four birds with one stone.
- He’d give the Lakers a go-to scorer in the post.
- He’d give the Lakers one of the best 3-point shooting centers in the league (Vucevic is shooting 39% from deep), which would help open up the floor for LeBron and Ingram when they drive to the rim.
- He’d give the Lakers a defensive anchor in the middle (Vucevic is ranked 9th in ESPN’s DRPM), which they’ve been sorely lacking over the last 20 games or so.
- He’s a center so his presence would allow Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma to continue to play in the starting lineup, which would help the young core’s development.
Vucevic isn’t the sexy choice that Lakers fans want, but if the Purple and Gold miss out on Durant, Leanord, and Irving, Nikola is a much better option than an almost 30 years old Jimmy Butler or a slightly hobbled DeMarcus Cousins.