5. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler wanted out of Chicago, then he ruffled feathers in Minnesota, and now it appears that he is already on his way out of Philadelphia as well. At a certain point teams around the league have to wonder if the dominant personality of Butler can work in any locker room at all.
So there would be cause for concern for the Lakers to add Butler to a team that already had chemistry issues last season. However, if he did land in Los Angeles it would be different from his last few stops because the Lakers already have a clear alpha dog in LeBron.
The biggest issue for Butler on his last two squads was that there was a power struggle to be the team’s leader between him and the younger up and coming stars on those respective teams.
With the Lakers that would no longer be an issue because Butler has never played with a player of James’ caliber and he would instantly defer to him, despite the Lakers having a few young budding stars on their team as well.
From an on-court standpoint, Butler would actually be a better fit for the Lakers than some people might assume. He would instantly be an upgrade at the starting two-guard position and he would dramatically improve their perimeter defense, something that plagued them last season.
Assuming the Lakers let last year’s starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope go this offseason, Butler can easily slip into the starting role to replace him and can be the player the Lakers always envisioned KCP would develop into, but could not. A guy that can lock down the other team’s best scorer and be able to knock down threes and handle the ball when necessary.
If the Lakers swing and miss on their top free agent targets this summer, they might be the only team to offer Butler a max contract. Team’s like the Knicks, Clippers, and Nets also have the space to offer Butler a max deal, but they seem to be looking towards the bigger fish in the free agent pool as well.
If the Lakers do sign Butler because they are the only one to give him a max contract, it could look like yet another loss for a franchise struggling to improve their public persona. However, if Butler is indeed the player that the Lakers do land, they should not be disappointed.
He is the perfect guard to play alongside Lonzo Ball in the backcourt and would not hinder any of the other Lakers dominant playmakers on offense like James or Kuzma. One of the Lakers’ weaker positions last season was the two spot, but with Butler and a healthy Josh Hart backing him up, it would turn into a position of strength.
The Los Angeles Times Lakers Reporter Arash Markazi stated on his official Twitter account and on the Colin Cowherd show
"“When @ColinCowherd asked me this morning on @TheHerd what star player the Lakers could realistically sign, I didn’t waste any time saying Jimmy Butler. He likes L.A, LeBron James has been in touch with him and he would join the Lakers in a second if they offered him a max deal.”"
So apparently LeBron is already on the recruiting trail and has at least an All-Star level player in Butler reportedly willing to play with him.