3. Jeff Teague
Jeff Teague is coming off of a somewhat disappointing season. Teague began the year in Minnesota as a member of the Timberwolves where he averaged 13 points and 6 assists per game, which are both around his career averages.
However, after a midseason trade sent him to the Atlanta Hawks, Teague had to accept a lesser role. Coming off of the bench behind young star Trae Young, Jeff Teague saw his numbers drop to 7.7 points and 4 assists per game in just under 21 minutes per game.
Teague would give the Los Angeles Lakers a traditional point guard to play alongside LeBron James. In theory, the 32-year-old could be a more consistent version of Rajon Rondo. He would also provide more of a scoring threat than Rondo, which could be important on a team where its third-best player may vary from game to game.
The downside of such a signing would be his lack of floor stretching. Teague only shoots a career 35.6% from beyond the arc and only shoots 2.4 per game. In a modern NBA where three-point shooting has become so prevalent, it would benefit the Lakers to have as much floor spacing as possible to help clear the paint for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The area Jeff Teague could potentially provide the biggest boost for the Lakers would be in the minutes he could play while LeBron James is on the bench. During this past season, the Lakers offense looked flat and stagnant while James took his rest.
Anthony Davis is a fantastic offensive player but is much more efficient with an aggressive facilitator on the floor, which is something that Teague has been his entire career. Rajon Rondo has shown at times that he can lead an offense; however, his lack of aggression as a scorer allows the defense to collapse on the paint which hinders Davis’s effectiveness.