Los Angeles Lakers: 3 wings that the Lakers could still sign
By Jason Reed
3. Garrison Mathews
It does not make any sense that Garrison Mathews is still a free agent. He is a young sharpshooter in a league that really values shooting and he has not even been signed and we are almost to October.
The only possible explanation that could be is that teams are not willing to over him more than a bi-annual exception at most (which the Lakers do not have) and that his agent is trying to push for more money.
That is the only scenario that makes sense as there has to be a market for him. Sure, he is not the greatest of defenders but that can be molded at his age and he has the three-point shot to at least be a shooter off the bench.
Mathews has played exactly 82 games in his two-year NBA career. In what is the normal length of an NBA season, Mathews has shot 38.9% from beyond the arc in three attempts per game. That is nothing to sleep on whatsoever.
As mentioned, he is not the greatest of defenders but he certainly is not horrible. He is slightly below average. That is something that the Los Angeles Lakers can work with.
You would think that the Lakers would jump all over the opportunity to sign a sharpshooter that turns 25 next month that could not only contribute next season but in the following seasons as well.
It has to be something on Mathews side and maybe that is what the Lakers are waiting for. Maybe they like Ennis or Wesley Matthews more. Both are possible.