If the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have enough salary space, which free agents will be the Lakers’ goals?
According to ESPN’s Bobby, the Lakers could have as much as $23.7 million if they complete the Anthony Davis trade with the New Orleans Pelicans on July 6 and Davis chooses not to relinquish the $4 million trade guarantee.
salary space.
It’s not enough space to sign a third All-Star who plays with Davis and James.
However, the Lakers can use this cap space to sign multiple good role players, and use the roughly $4.8 million mid-level contract to sign a player. When the Lakers complete the transaction, only five people in the lineup are guaranteed contracts.
Below is a list of some free agents who could be a good fit for the Lakers.
point guard
Patrick Beverley | Los Angeles Clippers
Snatching Beverley from the rival Clippers is a coup for the Lakers, and if the Clippers sign a wing in free agency to pair with young guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet, then
The Lakers can offer him a better chance.
Beverley has developed into a reliable 3-point shooter, hitting 40 percent of his attempts in two seasons with the Clippers, and he’s still the league’s most desperate defender at age 30 (Bever
Leigh turns 31 in July).
On the downside, the Lakers hope to stay healthy for Beverley, who was originally drafted by the Lakers but traded on draft night.
Last year’s 78 games were a career-high for Beverley, who missed 71 games in 2017-18 because of a meniscus injury that required surgery to end the season.
Alex Caruso | Los Angeles Lakers
He signed two-way contracts with the Lakers in the past two seasons. In five games in April, Caruso averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 assists per game, four of which were starts.
He’s an excellent 3-point shooter (36 percent in the G League) and can be a solid backup point guard.
If the Lakers are able to sign Caruso to a full-fledged NBA contract, making him a restricted free agent, his veteran experience would provide valuable depth to the roster.
Darren Collison | Indiana Pacers
A Southern California native who played at UCLA, he might want to return home after spending two years with the Pacers, who also have Aaron Holiday as their point guard of the future.
Collison is an elite catch-and-shoot shooter who led the league in 47 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2017-18 and has also made 39 percent of his threes in his career.
One concern, though, is whether the undersized Collison (6-footer) can maintain his defensive depth in the playoffs.
In his NBA career, he has never made it past the first round.
George Hill | Milwaukee Bucks
Because only $1 million of Hill’s 2019-20 salary is guaranteed on July 1, the Bucks are likely to waive him by the end of June, which would make him an unrestricted free agent.
.
Hill played with LeBron in Cleveland in 2018, and despite a disappointing stint, Hill started 18 games and averaged 29 minutes per game.
His real problem was lackluster performance from beyond the arc (31 percent in the playoffs that year, compared to 37 percent in the postseason for his career).
Given Hill’s size and defensive versatility, he would be a great fit for the Lakers.
shooting guard
Avery Bradley | Memphis Grizzlies
Like Hill, Bradley is expected to be released before his $13 million 2019-20 salary becomes fully guaranteed on July 3.
Bradley is coming off a rough season, shooting 46.4 true shooting percentage with the Clippers before being traded to Memphis.
(The league averaged 56% shooting last year.) Bradley’s defensive ability has long been overrated. He is an elite ball handler, but not a great help defender.
Still, that title combined with a career 36 percent three-point shooting percentage could make Bradley an option for the Lakers.
Reggie Bullock | Los Angeles Lakers
If the Los Angeles Lakers don’t get enough cap space, it will significantly increase the value of Bullock’s $4.75 million contract.
The Lakers can keep him on the roster.
After being traded to the Lakers by the Detroit Pistons, he started 16 of the 19 games he played in for the Lakers, and although he shot below his 34 percent from 3-point range during that span, he
In his career, he has made 39% of his three-pointers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Los Angeles Lakers
After losing his starting job due to his dismal shooting performance in October, Caldwell-Pope is shooting the best performance of his career (56.8 percent shooting, slightly above league average).
Caldwell-Pope isn’t a great 3-point shooter (career 34.5 percent) to pair with LeBron and Davis, but he’s a more efficient scorer than Bradley, and as a
Off-ball guards are more efficient, and he’s two years younger.
If Pope discovered the cruelty of the free market, then from last year 1