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Lakers: 7 guards to trade for and 7 to sign in free agency this offseason

By Cameron Salce

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 07: Chris Paul #3 and Dennis Schroder #17 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 07, 2020 in New York City. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 07: Chris Paul #3 and Dennis Schroder #17 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 07, 2020 in New York City. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

7. Jordan Clarkson

Jordan Clarkson proved last season that he can get traded and fit into a Western Conference playoff team and be an instant scoring threat. Clarkson had a surprising playoffs, in the one series he played against the Nuggets, he averaged 16.7 points per game and hit over two 3-pointers a game.

He was also a fan favorite in Los Angeles during his time as a Lakers guard because of his ability to score the basketball. Clarkson was pretty much Kuzma, before Kuzma, he was an overachieving second-round pick that could put the ball in the hoop on bad teams, and got a little too much attention because he played for the Lakers.

Now he knows his role, and if the playoffs were any indicator, he is ready to make an impact for a contending team.

He also has experience playing with LeBron James in the NBA Finals, even though that did not go very well for him, experience is experience.

If the Lakers do sign Clarkson over say a guy like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they would be giving up a lot on the defensive end. But if they could retain a guy like Avery Bradley, then a scoring guard like Clarkson becomes much more appealing.

The Lakers were hoping either Quinn Cook or Troy Daniels were going to be their shooter/scoring guard last season, but both of them were duds when they got on the court.

Clarkson is not the pure shooter that either of them is, but he can still hit threes at a reliable rate and he relies more on his ability to create space and get to the basket to score, and that helps when the shot is not falling on some nights.

Clarkson would be a great plan B if the Lakers strike out on some of the bigger names on the free-agent market. Considering they have missed out on their top target every season recently besides when LeBron signed, they should look into contingency plans.

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