The Los Angeles Lakers may deny it but LeBron James and Klutch Sports definitely have some kind of say on the team’s roster decisions. If they didn’t then the trio of Klutch clients — Troy Brown Jr, Lonnie Walker IV and Juan Toscano-Anderson — wouldn’t have been signed last summer.
In fact, those three signings were among the first that were announced for the purple and gold, indicating that there was already some kind of connection there. That connection is through LeBron and Rich Paul. Without a doubt.
There are some Klutch Sports clients that are free agents this offseason and just like a year ago, the Lakers could put pen to paper and continue to show the influence that LeBron and Paul have on the roster decisions.
5 Klutch Sports clients the Lakers could sign this offseason:
1. Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet also has a player option that he has already utilized, making him a free agent this offseason. While VanVleet is coming off of a down season, he is still going to get a better pay day than he would have gotten with the Raptors next season.
VanVleet might get a contract in the $30 million range and the Lakers have the ability to create around $29 million in cap space. It might take a marginal pay cut but if VanVleet really wants to join the Lakers and team up with his Klutch peers then he can do it.
However, there would be different sacrifices that the Lakers would have to make. Most notably, there is no feasible way the team could have VanVleet and Russell on the same team. But that is probably a good thing after the Western Conference Finals.
Fred VanVleet could be a D’Angelo Russell replacement for the Lakers
It does not make sense from a money standpoint (to go way over the luxury tax) and it does not make sense from a basketball standpoint as well. Russell and VanVleet would not mesh together well in the backcourt, especially considering they are already being asked to play third fiddle behind LeBron and Anthony Davis.
If Russell is not in the cards for the future then VanVleet is an option. If Russell is coming back then there is little to no chance that VanVleet is coming to LA.
2. Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. has a player option with the Toronto Raptors this offseason that he is almost certainly going to utilize to ink a multi-year deal. While Trent is not a max player by any means, he can secure more guaranteed money by opting out of his $18.56 million salary next season.
Plus, things have not really been going well for the Toronto Raptors and even if Toronto wants to pay him, you cannot blame Trent for wanting to spread his wings elsewhere. He is the kind of role player that every team in the league is going to want to sign, including the Los Angeles Lakers.
For several reasons, Trent is a much more realistic target for the Lakers than VanVleet.
The Los Angeles Lakers would need to make sacrifices to bring in Gary Trent Jr.
To afford Trent, the Lakers would have to reject Malik Beasley’s player option for next season while also waiving Mo Bamba and his non-guaranteed contract. It is already unlikely that those two return next season but this waives the ability to trade the duo.
Then the Lakers would be able to afford Trent and could utilize its Bird Rights on D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura to keep them in town. This would put the Lakers over the tax but with LeBron likely coming off the books after the 2023-24 season, the front office might be okay with one more year over the tax.
3. Darius Bazley
Darius Bazley is a restricted free agent with the Phoenix Suns this offseason. Phoenix has the ability to match any offer sheet that Bazley gets from another team to keep him in Phoenix. For a team that is lacking depth, it seems unlikely that they would just let Bazley walk away.
That being said, it is not like the Suns have really shown a liking towards Bazley. The team acquired him in a trade for Dario Saric in a move that seemed like it was just meant to save some money for the 2022-23 season.
Once in Phoenix, Bazley appeared in only seven games and was not a member of the playoff rotation despite how thin the Suns were. All that being said, it seems like Phoenix would be more than okay letting him walk this summer.
But if a contender like the Suns are not interested, why should the Lakers be?
Darius Bazley has a lot of potential as a hidden gem for the Lakers
Phoenix may not have seen the vision with Bazley but there certainly is a vision there. Bazley has all the makings of being a solid stretch four that comes off the bench and plays 15-20 minutes a game in the regular season.
Better yet, he actually played serviceable defense while he was with the OKC Thunder as well. It isn’t anything that jumps off the screen but Bazley is an effective two-way player who has value off the ball.
Bazley shot 40% from three in 1.3 attempts per game with the Thunder. If the Lakers could get that off the bench, even if he is just a regular-season player, it would be fantastic. Bazley might not be as big of a name as others on this list, but he is still solid.
4. Draymond Green
It seems increasingly likely that Draymond Green is going to find a new home this offseason. It would either take Green taking a massive pay cut or the Warriors being willing to take the massive penalties of going way over the luxury tax for him to return.
In the past, owner Joe Lacob has shown no hesitancy to foot the large luxury tax bill to keep the Warriors relevant. However, the new NBA’s new CBA introduced steeper penalties for teams that reach a certain threshold above the luxury tax. Those penalties directly impact team building, not just the franchise’s bottom line.
For that reason, the Warriors may simply need to bite the bullet and let Green walk. Green has a player option this offseason and this is the last time he will be able to get paid, so it would be shocking to see him simply return.
Draymond Green isn’t the best fit for the Lakers but is still a possibility
Basketball-wise, Green may not be the best fit because of his inability to space the floor and the moves that would have to be made to bring him in. However, at least in this situation, the Lakers could theoretically replace Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba’s salaries with Green and still attempt to bring back D’Angelo Russell and others.
That, mixed with the fact that Green seems legitimately close with LeBron James via Klutch, makes it a possibility that he could take his talents from Northern California to Southern California.
5. Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson also has a player option this offseason that he is more than likely going to exercise. While he probably is not going to get the kind of contract he thinks he will get in free agency, he can still lock down more long-term money by opting out of his deal.
Plus, as good as he has been with the Utah Jazz, you cannot blame Clarkson for potentially wanting to move on from the team. Utah is in a rebuilding phase and is in no position to contend for a championship in the next five years.
Clarkson is at the tail end of his prime as a player in the NBA so it is time for him to join a contender and give a run at winning a championship. His only deep playoff run was in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and in that run, he proved he can be a valuable playoff guy.
Jordan Clarkson would be the third-best scorer on the Lakers
Clarkson would be a similar addition to Trent as he would cost nearly the same (would probably be a tad cheaper) and would offer the same kind of presence as a third scorer on the Lakers. However, the one drawback of his game is his inability to make threes at an efficient rate.
That being said, he is a better shot-creator than Trent and he theoretically could be a heat-check scorer for the Lakers off the bench. There is a path for Clarkson to contend for the Sixth Man of the Year again if he came back to Los Angeles.