Alright Laker Nation, welcome in to the 1st ever free agency outlook on this blog. I've done this kind of post three times in the past, covering the Raiders and the NFL free agency period. I figured a Lakers and NBA free agency outlook is overdue here and I got a hand of keeping track of the negotiation periods and the start of free agency.
In contrast to my three previous "Outlook" posts, this will be my most methodical post of any posts before a free agency period starts. Let's face it, we keep buying into the hype that a "superstar" player on the unrestricted free agency list will be in a Laker uniform. And year after year, we come up empty and we have to settle for "leftover" free agents since quality free agents already passed by and sign with teams while the Lakers wait out on a superstar's decision. In my Season in Review post for the 2015-16 season, I voiced out that the Lakers should not wait out on a star player's decision and go after quality players and veterans that could help the young core develop and grow.
Trade D'Lo for Cousins?
The problem that persisted over time with the Lakers and their failure to attract top-tier free agents is that they're clinging onto the past. Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak pitch in to the idea that because the Lakers have a rich history with 16 championships and because it's L.A./Hollywood, the top-tier free agents should sign with them. That's not going to fly. Nowadays, star players to teams are more about "what can you do for me now" not "what have you done in the past." And players want to go to teams that are in position to contend for a title now. So, it's time to stop thinking an established NBA superstar is going to come to the Lakers. Kevin Durant is not coming and the Lakers' FO shouldn't even dare to attempt to trade D'Angelo Russell for DeMarcus Cousins.
Okay, they want to build a contender while developing the young core of Russell, Randle, Clarkson, and Ingram. But, trying to do both is impossible. In hindsight, the Lakers have to be realistic in their free agency approach and build around their young core that possesses promising potential under new head coach Luke Walton. With the NBA setting the salary cap at $94 million for the incoming 2016-17 NBA Season, the Lakers sit atop with the most cap space out of all 30 teams with $60+ million to spend in the free agency period.
Obviously, the Lakers need help in every position in this offseason. I've listed out what I believe are the Lakers' priorities heading into the free agency period: 1) Starting-caliber Center 2) Backup Veteran Small Forward 3) Backup Veteran Guard.
Whiteside to the West Side?
Since the departure of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, the Lakers have lacked a true rim protector at the Center position. One of the most talked-about free agents at the Center position that the Lakers have been linked to is Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat. Whiteside revitalized his NBA career with the Heat and worked his way up to All-Defensive 2nd team honors and being the NBA's leader in blocks for the 2015-16 season. Whiteside can bring an immediate defensive presence in the paint for the Lakers.
Of course Whiteside is not the "be all end all" option. There are several backup options that the Lakers have available, particularly Al Horford, Bismack Biyombo, Ian Mahinmi, and Joakim Noah. Horford may not provide the inside presence that Whiteside has, but he makes up for the ability to stretch the floor because of his 3-point shot. Joakim Noah could have a similar role to what Andrew Bogut has with the Warriors given that Luke Walton wants to bring over elements of the Warriors' brand of basketball except with more versatility, hustle, and athleticism.
How about luring Jeff Green to the purple and gold side of the Staples Center Hallway?
We are excited about what Brandon Ingram can bring to the table at the Small Forward ("3") position for the Lakers. The problem is he doesn't have much help to back him up at the 3 position. If you think Nick Young is capable to back up Ingram? I beg to differ. Given the tension between Young and Russell in a phone recording incident and that D'Angelo is too valuable of a piece of the future to trade, it should be a no brainer that Nick Young has to go and I'll discuss a trade scenario that involves Nick Young shortly.
Furthermore, this discussion will subtract Kevin Durant and LeBron James off the equation since they are the top-tier FAs at the 3. The players that are on the Lakers' radar for the 3 spot are Harrison Barnes and Nicolas Batum. Even though Walton is familiar with Barnes during his tenure with Golden State, Barnes' woeful shooting in this years' finals will likely serve as precaution to not give him a max deal. Batum has a couple more years left in him as a starter. If the plan is to have Ingram come off the bench, then it's understandable for the Lakers to go after either of them, preferably Batum.
However, if the plan is to immediately insert Ingram into the starting lineup at the 3 position, I threw out a wild card unrestricted free agent into the mix on who the Lakers could get to back up Ingram. Enter Jeff Green. Albeit inconsistent, Green can be the all-around player who can come off the bench for the Lakers in terms of providing scoring, rebounding, and defense. He'll give the Lakers more versatility, given he can play both the small forward (3) and power forward (4) spot.
Nick Young to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Jarrett Jack? Hmmm...
We now move onto a trade scenario that I made up that involves shipping Nick Young out of LA using ESPN's NBA Trade Machine. A possible trade that I came up with involves the Brooklyn Nets as a possible trade partner. The Nets are shopping around Jack before Thursday and if they couldn't find a trade partner, they'll most likely waive his contract. The benefits of acquiring Jack is that the Lakers are going to get a proven backup point guard. Jack has bounced around the league, backing up the likes of Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving. He'd be the perfect complement backing up D'Angelo Russell in terms of scoring and playmaking ability and he will provide veteran leadership that the Lakers desperately need. However, there is a risk in acquiring Jack. He's coming off from an ACL injury and he's getting older, turning 33 years old at the start of the season.
The Lakers can choose to be risk-averse and not trade for an older player (although, I still prefer if Nick Young is traded to another team). There are other, younger options for a backup guard in the open market. D.J. Augustin and Norris Cole are my personal preferences for the Lakers to sign in free agency to fill a backup guard spot. Augustin can provide scoring and playmaking off the bench. Cole can also provide some decent scoring and provide some much-needed defense on the perimeter. And considering that the Lakers are in a conference facing the likes Paul, Curry, Westbrook, and Lillard, they could use Cole's services on the defensive end.
Other Thoughts/Re-Sign Priorities
"Mo Buckets" in the Purple and Gold?
Considering Luke Walton has ties to the Warriors and wants to install elements of Warriors' basketball, players like Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli have been rumored to follow Luke to LA. Barnes is considered provided that the Lakers have explored every option at the 3 position and I would like them to shelve aspirations of adding Ezeli as an emergency option. However, if there's one player I would want the Lakers to pry away from the Warriors, it'd have to be Marreese Speights aka "Mo Buckets." Speights would provide a "stretch 5 (Center)." His addition will allow the Lakers and Walton to exploit some mismatches offensively.
Jordan Clarkson is a MUST re-sign.
In terms of re-signing players from last season's roster, Jordan Clarkson has got to be the "no brainer" for the Lakers to re-sign. Through two seasons, Clarkson has proved that the Lakers made a 2nd round steal by trading for him after he was drafted by the Washington Wizards. He may not be All-Star material, but he's an integral piece to the Lakers' renaissance post-Kobe era along with Russell, Ingram, and Randle. The priority to re-sign Clarkson should be sky high for the Lakers. Another possible free agent that the Lakers should consider re-signing is Tarik Black. Even though Black is still raw, there's no question he brings hustle and energy to the Lakers and he could show significant development by playing under Luke Walton. Obviously, Black is a better option as a backup Center than Robert Sacre.
Roster Projection/Conclusion
After making my case on how the Lakers should approach free agency and how they should address their roster needs, this is how I'm projecting what their starting lineup and rotation would look like:
PG: Russell/Jack (or Augustin or Cole)/Clarkson/Williams
SG: Clarkson/Williams/Russell/Brown
SF: Ingram/Green (or Batum)/Brown
PF: Randle/Nance, Jr./Speights?/Green/Black
C: Whiteside (or Horford or Noah or Biyombo or Mahinmi)/Black/Speights?/Zubac
Versatility, a good mixture of youth and experience with quality veteran players surrounding our young, promising core is what I'm seeing with how this roster looks on paper. This Laker team may not be a championship-level team with this roster, but if the young core makes significant progress and players gel faster than expected, they could make a surprise playoff push down the stretch as a 6th-8th seed in the West.
July should usher in a new chapter in Lakers history. As usual like what I did with my "Raiders Offseason Activity Posts," I will constantly update a single post on the Lakers' offseason transactions and give my reaction. Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss, it's time to set a realistic path and field together a competitive roster with quality players surrounding the young core of the future. No more wasting time on waiting for a superstar's decision. No more. I'll see you guys later.
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