7 veteran free agents the Los Angeles Lakers should avoid at all costs
By Jason Reed
2. LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldrige is essentially a better version of Paul Millsap at this point in their careers and there definitely is a route to the Lakers talking themselves into Aldridge. In a perfect world, Aldridge would provide the team someone with a jump shot that can hit mid-range shots and off-ball threes while also being a center option that is not a floor-space eater, like Dwight Howard.
On paper, Aldridge could be someone who plays next to Anthony Davis in the front court but could also be someone who provides a similar outlook as Davis when he is not playing. Aldridge obviously is not anywhere close to Davis talent-wise, but in terms of style, Aldridge could be a nice depth option to keep the consistency.
The problem with all of that is that the numbers are better than the eye test. Those that watched the Brooklyn Nets last season know that Aldridge played so many minutes by necessity and while he put together numbers, he didn’t do it in an impressive manor.
His offensive impact really is not much better than any league-average forward and he is a negative on the defensive side of the basketball. Aldridge wouldn’t be a downright awful signing if the Lakers brought him in but he wouldn’t really add anything to the team, either.