3 sharpshooters the Lakers can still pursue in free agency
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers have made it a point this offseason to add youth to the roster. All five of the free agents the Lakers have signed are under 30 with three of the five being under the age of 25. This is a welcomed sign from the old players that occupied the team last season.
However, this is not the only area where the Lakers have differed from last season. Los Angeles had quite a few consistent three-point shooters who shot over 37% from three last season. Those players, though, did not play good defense and left the team one-dimensional.
Los Angeles swung the pendulum back in the other direction as nobody who the team has signed this offseason is really that good of a shooter. Granted, there is potential that the team is going to add Joe Harris and/or Seth Curry in a Kyrie Irving trade but that is not a guarantee. LA needs shooting.
Here are 3 sharpshooters the Lakers can still pursue in free agency:
1. Ben McLemore
Another trend that the Lakers have had thus far this offseason is signing Klutch Sports clients. As much as the team wants to deny it, LeBron James and Klutch Sports have influence over the decisions being made and that is why more Klutch clients are joining the team.
Ben McLemore isn’t just a Klutch client but he is also a former Laker. Rob Pelinka has brought ins several former Lakers over the last two years, including Thomas Bryant this summer. McLemore appeared in 21 games with the Lakers during the 2020-21 season.
McLemore only shot 36.2% from three last season but that seems to be his floor as a three-point shooter at this point in his career. While he did not shoot great last time he was on the Lakers, he did post back-to-back seasons with the Rockets in which he shot above 40% from three. That was only three years ago.
Age is also on McLemore’s side as he is 29 years old and turns 30 during the season. He might not be as young as other Lakers but he certainly is not old in the NBA world.