Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve potential free agent targets, as Derrick Favors will reportedly garner some interest should his option be declined.
There will be plenty of Los Angeles Lakers rumors in the coming days and weeks. The team has big plans for this offseason as they will look to upgrade their roster in a big way.
The first chance the Lakers have to upgrade their roster will be the 2019 NBA Draft. The Lakers were big winners in the NBA Draft Lottery, moving up to the 4th overall pick. That gives them a golden opportunity to add another enticing young player to their roster or use it as ammunition to execute a trade.
Whether the Lakers execute a trade or keep the pick, free agency is where the team will look to make their biggest dent.
Los Angeles enters free agency with some money to spend, as they have enough to add a max free agent. This what the team has been building toward the last few years, as they wanted to give themselves enough flexibility to add multiple max free agents to the roster.
Actually obtaining those multiple max players is easier said than done. Los Angeles signed LeBron James last summer, but they are still looking for that second star. Paul George was expected to be it, but he re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As a result, the Lakers have spent the last few offseasons handing out one-year deals to retain their future cap flexibility. That is a route that has not panned out, as the team has been unable to build chemistry and continuity with so many changing parts.
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If the Lakers strike out on the max-level free agents, there is some debate as to what their Plan B is. One player to potentially keep an eye on is Derrick Favors.
Favors may not be back with the Utah Jazz for the 2019-20 season. Favors has a team option for the upcoming season for $16.9 million that needs to be decided by July 6. If that option is not picked up, the Lakers could come calling.
According to Sean Deveny of Sporting News, the Lakers would have interest in Favors should he hit free agency this summer.
"Another guy who, according to sources, the Lakers have an interest in is big man Derrick Favors. The Jazz have a team option on Favors that must be exercised by July 6 or he will be a free agent."
The center position has been a weak spot for the Lakers recently. Trading Ivica Zubac was a short-sighted decision, as he could have filled the spot going forward. Unfortunately, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, along with Michael Beasley, prior to the NBA Trade Deadline for Mike Muscala.
Favors would be a solid addition in the middle for Los Angeles. He would provide some offensive punch in the middle for the Lakers in addition to solid defense. Favors has had a positive offensive and defensive box plus/minus in four of the last five seasons according to Basketball-Reference.
Favors is coming off arguably the best season of his career, even if he wasn’t receiving as many minutes as previous seasons. Favors registered a career-high offensive rating of 124 to go with a defensive rating of 103, giving him a career-high +21 rating.
Favors would be a solid addition to the Lakers, but he shouldn’t be the final piece at the center position, let alone their free agency plan. If Favors is someone who is targeted, it sounds more like a Plan B to fill out the roster with solid, albeit not All-Star level players, to improve the depth.
The Lakers were competitive this past season when everyone was healthy. If they are able to upgrade the roster around their current core, they would be a playoff team. However, to reach thee upper echelon of the NBA, they will need that second star player to help push them toward the top half of the Western Conference.