The Los Angeles Lakers still have open roster spots and it appeared as if the team was going to land another former all-star and decorated veteran in Andre Iguodala. The Lakers were reportedly one of the three finalists for Iguodala in free agency, however, he opted to return to the Golden State Warriors.
This is not going to break by the Lakers’ season by any means. Iguodala was not the key to the Lakers contending and they are still, by far, the best team in the Western Conference. Not getting Iguodala does not change that.
However, it would have been nice to see Iguodala in the purple and gold. Another defensive presence, especially one that the Lakers can play in crunch time, would have been big for the team and its versatility. They can make it work without him, but it would have been easier with him.
The Los Angeles Lakers now need to pivot to other free agents on the market.
It is clear that the Lakers were waiting out for Iguodala and now that he signed with the Warriors we might see the team approach their plan B targets and work out a deal.
The options have to be limited to minimum contracts as that is the only thing that the Lakers can physically agree to at this point in time. There are still some good options in free agency that the Lakers can explore.
1. JJ Redick
JJ Redick surprisingly has not agreed to a deal with a contender yet despite being one of the best veteran shooters on the market. Redick might be in the latter stages of his career but he showed in his short stint with Dallas that he still has something to offer to the team.
As the roster currently stands, I would not consider Redick to be a main target. The backcourt is kind of crowded and Redick, who does not have the size to play the three, might not get as many minutes as he would have hoped for.
With that being said, the options on the market are not the best and the Lakers may concede and simply bring in the best shooting option. The M-O for the team has been to surround the stars with shooting and they have done just that. This would continue that process.
Redick is not a good defender and he is not someone who is going to create many shots for himself or for others. However, he can produce just fine as an off-ball spot-up three-point shooter.
It would give the team more flexibility to run some smaller guard-heavy lineups if they so please and with LeBron on the floor you could even run Redick as the de facto point guard when Westbrook is on the bench. Redick does not need to take the ball up at all and having him on the floor would allow the team to turn to someone with less shooting, such as Talen Horton-Tucker, to play the two in those specific minutes.
That would probably be the best fit for Redick in the rotation; the minutes when LeBron James is on the floor creating and Westbrook is on the bench.
2. Wesley Matthews
Wesley Matthews was not as good as hoped for when the Los Angeles Lakers signed him last offseason. Matthews was essentially meant to be the replacement for Danny Green, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder (then to Philly) for Dennis Schroder.
While Matthews seemingly fit the bill and had the skillset to succeed, he did not have the kind of season that the Lakers were hoping for. He was fine defensively, although not as stout as Green was the year prior, and his three-point shooting could not keep up with even a bad year from Green the year prior.
Despite that, Matthews was trusted in the playoffs and in the play-in game to play some important minutes for the Lakers. His veteran experience obviously meant something to Frank Vogel, who could have went in another direction.
Matthews is still a free agent and with the Lakers missing out on Iguodala it would not be all that surprising to see them simply re-up a player from last year’s team. This team has very little roster turnover and this would at least create some sort of turnover.
Matthews was disappointing last season and his role would be smaller this season. He would log the majority of his minutes as a 2/3 wing and if he can get hot shooting the basketball then he could play himself into the rotation.
He is not guaranteed a lot of minutes but nobody on this team is. With so many veterans, there absolutely is the chance that one veteran thrives and another really struggles, flipping the rotation that we currently see on its head.
Matthews could be someone who benefits from that or he can simply be more depth.
3. Avery Bradley
Signing Avery Bradley would certainly fit the trend of the Los Angeles Lakers signing former Lakers to return to the team. Bradley may want to return to the Lakers for several reasons. First, they are a contender and his market obviously is not hot. Second, there could be a sense of unfinished business in LA after Bradley did not play in the Orlando bubble.
The Lakers would have to find a niche role for Bradley in a similar way that they would for Redick. The backcourt is five deep and while Bradley would theoretically be the sixth man, he is going to want some kind of role if he is going to sign with the team.
Bradley is not an elite three-point shooter but he can hit some shots but his value would be more in his defensive presence. While his numbers last season were not the best, he can definitely give the Lakers 15 solid minutes off the bench defensively as a combo guard.
Whereas Redick could be paired with someone who cannot shoot as well, Bradley would be better suited next to shooters. There definitely is a solid lineup possible where Bradley plays alongside an assortment of Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Davis.
We have seen the three-guard lineups work before with the Oklahoma City Thunder and this could be a fun twist on it.
He might not provide the size and wing defense that Iguodala would have provided, but he does deepen the defensive efforts in the backcourt.