NBA Rumors: Affordable Point Guards for the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers’ search for a point guard has been on red alert and will continue up to the trade deadline. The Lakers have been scouring the trade block, free agency and unemployment for a new floor general.

Derek Fisher and Steve Blake are both one-trick ponies, sporting only shooting ability. The Lakers are in search of a package of scoring punch and defensive ability in order to have a stretch run into the postseason.

Here are six point guards available that the Lakers can get on the cheap.

Gilbert Arenas

The Gilbert Arenas rumors to the Los Angeles Lakers have been swirling, the latest being a workout held in LA for the three-time All-Star.

Arenas clearly possessed the scoring prowess in 2006, but it remains to be seen whether he can still fill it up in 2012. He hasn’t seen NBA action for almost a year, not counting the previous four seasons in which he only played in 117 games.

His character issues may also be a concern; It would be interesting to see how Arenas would attempt to mesh with the Lakers' strong veteran presence. Agent Zero may be a tougher chemistry fix than Metta World Peace was two years ago.

Nevertheless, Arenas could be a volume scorer that the Lakers can acquire for pennies on the dollar.

Roddy Beaubois

Roddy Beaubois needs a new home.

Once thought to be the next Tony Parker, ESPN’s Chris Broussard has indicated that the Beaubois trial period has expired. The Frenchman has frequented the injury report during his Dallas tenure, failing to return to full strength.

Beaubois is an intriguing prospect possessing significant measurables; he's a 6’2'' combo guard with a 6’9'' wingspan and a 39-inch vertical leap. He also has the reputation of a streaky shooter, holding the NBA rookie record with nine three-pointers in one game.

The Lakers wouldn’t use their $8.9 million trade exception to acquire Beaubois, but Dallas has no problem dealing with their Western Conference rival (see Lamar Odom). Roddy could have a resurgence in LA with the green light in Mike Brown’s bench lineup.

Kirk Hinrich

Once regarded as one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA, Kirk Hinrich has been humbled by a shoulder injury the past two seasons in Atlanta. If healthy, Hinrich provides the strongest package of leadership and skill set for this Laker team.

With Derek Fisher and Steve Blake merely providing three-point shooting, Hinrich brings a defensive mentality that Mike Brown appreciates. The former Kansas floor general is a tactician on the offensive end—always in search of a quality look. In addition, he can put the ball in the hoop when needed. He is, after all, the Chicago Bulls all-time leader in three-pointers.

He was called "Captain Kirk" after captaining the Bulls for consecutive seasons. Now the Los Angeles Lakers could use Hinrich to steer the ship back on course.

Jonny Flynn

The Houston Rockets currently have a glut at the point guard position. Starter Kyle Lowry has blossomed into the unequivocal number one for Houston, but that leaves the Rockets with two viable backups who would see a spike in minutes in Los Angeles.

Jonny Flynn, the number five pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, may have some untapped potential if put in a comfortable situation in Los Angeles. He played significant minutes on a dreadful Minnesota Timberwolves team for a couple of years only to become the stopgap until Rick Rubio’s arrival.

But even with a change of scenery, Flynn has not been able to handle the point guard duties at the professional level. He hasn’t developed a pass-first mentality and tends to rely on his penetration without a viable jump shot.

Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic may be a suitable option for the Lakers’ offensive system because he would run a flawless pick and roll with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Dragic had his 15 minutes of fame as Steve Nash’s backup in Phoenix, but his star faded after being dealt to Houston.

He has a distributor-first mentality but has no problem attacking the rim with confidence when asked. His 14.26 PER exemplifies his efficient play even in limited minutes with the Rockets.

Dragic does have issues defensively, but the Lakers can’t get much worse with Derek Fisher and Steve Blake guarding the Chris Pauls and Russell Westbrooks.

Allen Iverson

An Allen Iverson signing would be out of left field, but "The Answer" has never been a more appropriate solution to the Lakers point guard question.

The issues with Iverson in LA are obvious. It would be his first NBA gig in two years. He’s never been able to cope with coming off the bench. Images of Iverson refusing to defer to Bryant are already entering Laker fans' nightmares.

No one will discount Iverson as a competitor. The six-foot scoring legend is a pitbull on the hardwood with the ability to score at will and a defensive thorn when motivated.

Perhaps Kobe Bryant would be able to bring out that fire in Iverson for one last run at the title. If he can handle being a team player, the Lakers should give Iverson a long look.