Los Angeles Lakers: 3 wings to target as LeBron James backups

1. Moe Harkless

The former Los Angeles Clipper forward has found a new home in his home town of New York City, but for how long?

Going from a top contender to a perennial lottery team does not seem like the ideal situation for Maurice Harkless. There is every chance that he remains with the Knicks, enjoys playing for the team he grew up supporting and he is happy there, but if he can seek a buyout, Harkless will be in hot demand.

The Lakers would very much so be in the hunt for Harkless’ services and it is easy to see why.

Moe Harkless makes all the sense in the world for the Los Angeles Lakers.  He is long,  he can play the 3 and 4, he is relatively athletic, he is an active, disruptive and defender, not a ball stopper and while not a scorer, is capable of getting buckets all over the floor and boasts an impressive 3-point percentage for the season (37.0%).

Harkless would slot in perfectly behind LeBron James and would provide some valuable minutes at the small forward position, allowing LeBron to play smaller but impactful minutes each night.

Having Harkless on the roster also gives the Lakers another long wing defender to throw at the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Expect the Lakers to be hotly in pursuit of Harkless should he become available in the buy-out market.