Los Angeles Lakers: 3 free-agent point guards to round out the roster
By Jason Reed
1. Shabazz Napier
LeBron James was a noted fan of Shabazz Napier when he was a member of the Miami Heat, so much so that the Heat drafted Napier in the first round only for LeBron to leave that offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Napier is not everything that LeBron thought he would be but he is still a solid, young depth option that could be had for the minimum. Napier actually had a breakout season (for his standards) last year, averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 assists per game.
The importance of these potential signings is solely for depth purposes, so Napier (and the other players on this list) are not going to be tremendous options. However, this upcoming NBA season is not going to be played in a bubble and with rosters so small, teams have to be prepared for anything.
The Lakers would be much better off signing someone like Napier who can play 5-7 minutes per game regularly but can be the point guard off the bench if Schroder gets hurt or if the team is resting LeBron James, which they should be doing with such a short offseason.
Napier can hold his own defensively and has shown the ability to be a facilitator when needed at the NBA level. He might not be a three-point specialist like Quinn, but he would give the Lakers the depth that is needed in what will be a crazy 2020-21 season.