Several key players have been thrown into the Los Angeles Lakers rumors mill.
The Los Angeles Lakers have only made one move thus far this offseason — flipping Danny Green and the 28th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft for point guard Dennis Schroder.
This was a smart and savvy move by Rob Pelinka as they flipped a disappointing Green for someone who helps greatly at the point guard position. Schroder is a more valuable player worth the salary this season and the Lakers can replace Green with a wing defender in free agency.
In fact, several different wing defenders have been tied to the Los Angeles Lakers thus far this offseason.
We break down the players that have been tied to LA in the latest episode of the Lake Show Life Podcast.
Let’s break down some of these players here as well.
Wesley Matthews:
Wesley Matthews would be a really good addition to replace Danny Green in the rotation. Matthews can be just as good of a defender as Green was last season and probably would be better as well.
Not only would he be a potential plus on the defensive end but he can offer exactly what Green offers on the offensive end as well. Green was not an elite shooter last season and Matthews can replicate what Green did last year at the very least.
Maurice Harkless:
Harkless would be an awesome addition to play 10-15 minutes a night. The Lakers, despite having Green last year, did not really have that secondary wing defender off the bench and getting a guy like Harkless whose sole purpose is to play defense off the bench is intriguing.
DeMar DeRozan:
We both really do not like the idea of DeMar DeRozan on the Los Angeles Lakers. DeRozan simply is not as good as his averages suggest and he would be a really odd fit on this Lakers team. Hard pass.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope re-signing:
Rumors suggest that KCP is going to re-sign with the Lakers, which is promising but is not anything that we should be jumping for joy about. KCP was a big part of the title-winning team but the main concern should be whether or not the Lakers overpaid for him.
KCP does have leverage with his Klutch Sports connection. Hopefully, that does not hurt the Lakers’ salary-cap situation.
Anthony Davis opting out:
Laker fans: don’t panic. Anthony Davis has not agreed to a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers yet because the team is utilizing the cap space it has with AD technically not under contract and then will go over the cap to re-sign him with Bird Rights. It is all part of the plan.
Kris Dunn becoming an unrestricted free agent:
This does not pertain so much to the Lakers but it does create a new potential target. Dunn was not given extended the qualifying offer by the Chicago Bulls, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Dunn is not the greatest offensively but he is an elite defensive point guard who could fit the Lakers’ defensive M-O. Definitely a name to watch.