Los Angeles Lakers: 3 defensive free agents that help replace Alex Caruso

1. Danny Green

The Los Angeles Lakers should just fully lean into the meme at this point and only sign former Lakers, which qualifies Danny Green as a target. All jokes aside, there are actually reports circling that the Lakers are interested in reuniting with Green which would be… perfectly hilarious.

Green is not the defender that Caruso is or even the defender that he was in his prime but he is still an above-average, serviceable defensive player. He is different from Caruso as Caruso is more of a combo guard while Green is a 2/3 wing but at the end of the day, the versatility of who these guys can guard is similar.

Green also brings the added benefit of a three-point shot. Granted, he was absolutely horrible for the Lakers in the Orlando bubble but he still has a three-point shot and is the textbook definition of a three and D guy. He hits threes and plays defense and does not do much more.

The only way this is possible, though, is if Green’s value has plummeted all the way to that of a minimum contract. The Lakers cannot use the Mid-Level Exception (they could have re-signed Caruso with Bird Rights) and they cannot acquire him via sign-and-trade. Both would cap the Lakers at the tax apron, which they are inevitably going over.

Danny Green is 34 so it definitely is possible that his value has plummeted all the way to that of a minimum deal and the Lakers can work something out. It is even more likely now that he was not one of the first players signed in free agency.

However, if PJ Tucker can get $15 million then who knows.