Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez to draw interest

Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve two potential targets at the center position in free agency in Brook Lopez and De’Andre Jordan.

Los Angeles Lakers rumors are going to be popping up frequently as the team is going to be busy in free agency. They have already begun filling out their Summer League roster and those players will have an excellent opportunity to make the roster as well.

After the agreed-upon trade for Anthony Davis becomes official, Los Angeles will have a lot of roster spots to fill out. Right now, only six players are on the roster in LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones and Davis. The team will have to get creative filling out the remainder of the open spots.

While some of the Summer League roster could have a shot to make the team, they will need some NBA veterans as well. Paying multiple players in free agency seems like a better use of resources right now, as James, Davis and Kuzma should be a strong enough trio to compete with any team in the NBA.

One position the Lakers will need to shore up is the center spot. They cannot go into the season with Wagner as the only other big man on the roster outside of Davis. Playing Davis some minutes at power forward, as he did with the New Orleans Pelicans when DeMarcus Cousins was on the team, would be smart.

There have been some rumors about the Lakers going after someone such as Nikola Vucevic to play alongside Davis as the starting center. However, he could prove to be too costly. In that case, two players to keep an eye on are DeAndre Jordan and Brook Lopez.

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According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Lakers are ‘sniffing around’ on Lopez and are targeting Jordan because he could come cheaper and is looking to return to Los Aneles.

Both Lopez and Jordan have played in Los Angeles. Lopez played the 2017-18 season with the Lakers after being acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that sent D’Angelo Russell cross-country. Jordan spent the first 10 seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In Lopez and Jordan, the Lakers would be getting two very different players. Lopez is the far superior offensively player. He has turned himself into the premier stretch-5 in the NBA, knocking down 433 3-pointers the last three seasons. Jordan, on the other hand, has attempted only 11 3-pointers in his 11-year career.

That floor spacing is imperative for the Lakers’ success. They struggled to space the floor last season and need some shooters. Lopez would be a great fit in that regard. Defensively, the two are more comparable.

Jordan has been the more consistent defender in his career, but Lopez is not a slouch. He has improved exponentially in that area in recent seasons, recording a career-high number in defensive win share and defensive box plus-minus.

That improvement defensive is what makes Lopez the clear-cut player to target. His skill-set offensively is a much better fit for the Lakers than Jordan’s. Lopez’s improvement defensively and his rim protection would also be welcomed.

What could be the determining factor in who is targeted is money. Lopez said last year that he would come back to the Lakers on a discount to play for a contender. After playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, who finished first in the Eastern Conference in the regular season and had the best record in the NBA, does that sentiment still run true for Lopez?

We will have to wait and see how things play out. Jordan and Lopez would both be solid additions to the team, but Lopez should be the No. 1 target at the center position outside of max players.