2. Evan Turner
Evan Turner is a prime target the Lakers should look at. He is almost certainly going to be bought out, so there isn’t the 50/50 that he may or may not. He won’t be able to be traded unless the Hawks bring back big salary and the team already got their use out of him by saving a small $700K trading Kent Bazemore to Portland for him.
So at this point, they will just be looking to save a few dollars and cut ties with someone who isn’t in their future. The Hawks are rebuilding and they’re looking to get young. Their ultimate plan will be retooling through the draft and looking at younger players on smaller deals.
Turner isn’t the player he once used to be, but the Lakers don’t need him to be. He’s a ball-handler, that can get himself shots or other guys shots. He plays a point-forward role and that could help the Lakers out, allowing LeBron and AD space to operate and have someone handle the ball more.
LeBron is thriving in the point guard role. But when games tighten up, teams get smarter with film they’ve watched. You can never have enough options to operate with the ball and show defenses looks they haven’t seen before.
We saw this in Portland when Turner would handle the ball and allow Damian Lillard to play off-ball. It opened up the floor to get C.J. McCollum more looks. This could be beneficial to the Lakers going forward.
Advanced stats have graded him out as above average on defense in his career and below average on offense. But add in the fact he’s operated with a lot of bench players and up-and-down teams in his career. It can be justified in a way that those numbers are not elite.
If/when the Hawks decide to pull the plug and buy him out, Lakers should be on the phone. He won’t be an absolute game-changer, but that’s not what this team needs. They need a ball-handler with experience and someone who knows how to play their role and more if asked in an emergency spot.
Turner is just the guy willing to do that.