With so much roster turnover year after year, there are a lot of former Los Angeles Lakers players littered throughout the league. If there is one thing that Rob Pelinka has shown it is that he loves bringing in former Lakers to once again play a role on the team.
It is a valuable trait to have as playing with LeBron James (and in front of the passionate LA fans) is something that not every player is comfortable with. Having previous experience in that regard is certainly a valuable thing to have.
If Pelinka once again wants to go down the route of bringing in former Lakers this summer then there are several options that he could consider signing.
4 former Lakers the team could sign in free agency:
1. Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018 in a move that essentially freed up cap space to sign LeBron James that summer. While Clarkson played well with LeBron in Cleveland that season, he really didn’t take off until he joined the Utah Jazz.
Clarkson has averaged 17.8 points per game in 250 games with the Jazz. This past season, he posted a career-high with 20.8 points per game on 44.4% shooting and 33.8% shooting from beyond the arc.
He may not be the typical off-ball sniper that the Lakers would look to add alongside LeBron James but his ability to score the basketball and be the team’s third scorer during the regular season could have a lot of value.
Clarkson does not make a lot of sense with how last season’s roster was constructed but if the team loses D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura then Clarkson could be a good shout to add bench scoring next season.