Lakers: 3 free agents who can be contingency plans for Russell Westbrook

3. Dennis Schroder

Rob Pelinka has had no problem bringing back former Lakers in the past and he very well could continue that trend with Dennis Schroder. It is not like Schroder did anything this past season to raise his free-agent value, which last summer was a Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. This year around, Schroder may only be worth the minimum.

Schroder was ultimately a disappointment during his stint with the Lakers but he was not as disappointing as Westbrook. Schroder failed to step up as the second-best player on the Lakers when Anthony Davis was out but those were probably unfair expectations.

If Schroder is the third or fourth-best player on the team then the Lakers can contend for a championship as long as they stay healthy. While Schroder deals with the same high usage-rate issues that Westbrook does, Schroder is a better shooter and has less of a basketball ego and is willing to mold into what the Lakers want him to do.

Plus, he is much better defensively as Westbrook has become a downright liability on the defensive end in the closing moments of games. You could make the case that Schroder is a better option for the Lakers than Westbrook altogether.

Will Schroder be willing to sign with the Lakers for a backup role and the hope that Westbrook eventually gets the boot? Maybe not. But he does present the most seamless transition from Westbrook to a new starting point guard because of his familiarity in playing with LeBron James.

Plus, Schroder also has ties to Darvin Ham, who was an assistant coach in Atlanta while Schroder played there. That could be another driving factor in Schroder signing in LA.