NBA Free Agency: 5 Candidates for Los Angeles Lakers Starting Point Guard

The Los Angeles Lakers may have improved their point guard situations by magnitudes when they acquired Ramon Sessions, but there are plenty of talented free agents that they can pursue to address the situation.

With guys like Steve Nash, Goran Dragic, and Jeremy Lin all hitting the open market, there's no doubt that the Lakers are going to try to make a big catch.

Here are five potential candidates for the point guard position in Tinseltown. 

Deron Williams

Deron Williams is going to be the biggest catch in the free-agent market when it comes to the point guard position. 

Williams was unhappy from the beginning when the Utah Jazz traded him to the New Jersey Nets. Now, he's on a team that's going to miss the playoffs yet again and has failed to acquire Dwight Howard.

There's no doubt that Williams will probably leave New Jersey once he becomes a free agent. Why would he stay on a team that he knows isn't going to be competitive—especially now that Howard is locked up in Orlando for another year?

By joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Deron Williams will be playing alongside three potential All-Stars in Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, thus elevating the team to be an instant championship contender.

Also, with Bryant aging, Williams will become next in line as the centerpiece and focal point of the team.

The only problem with this signing will be the price. The Lakers already have to pay Kobe and Pau an exorbitant amount of money and with the new stringent salary cap rules, signing Williams to a large contract may push them close to the cap, handicapping the team from getting any depth. 

Steve Nash

Steve Nash has done everything in his career. From All-Star games to MVPs, he has earned it all.

One accolade he does not have is a championship ring, and time is running out for him. 

With the Phoenix Suns not going anywhere in the next few years, Nash will most likely look for a short contract with a contending team so that he'll have a shot to win his first championship ring.

He's already said that he'd be interested in playing with the Miami Heat, so he obviously is thinking about winning that ring (via Yahoo Sports).

Nash definitely still has talent despite his age. He's averaging 13 points and 11 assists per game for a team that's on the outside looking in. There's no doubt that Nash would be able to help ignite the Lakers offense to a new level.

There are two questions, though. Will Steve Nash sign with a team that's in the Suns division and risk his legacy with the team? Also, how much are the Lakers willing to pay him?

For one, Suns fans will get over it. After all, Shaquille O'Neal's legacy with the Lakers was not tainted when he signed with the Boston Celtics. The city knows that Nash is in the twilight of his career and that he wants to win a ring.

As for the cost of Nash, he'll be a cheaper option than Deron Williams, but how long are the Lakers willing to commit to a guy that's approaching 40? Also, Nash doesn't really solve the future. The Lakers would rather have a long-term solution at the position, it seems. 

Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic doesn't have the star power that Steve Nash or Deron Williams do, but he's a low-cost, value signing that will help the Los Angeles Lakers on both sides of the ball.

Dragic is only averaging 11 points and five assists for the Houston Rockets this season, but he has a Player Efficiency Rating of 18.09, which is good for 15th in the league among all point guards. That rating is higher than Rajon Rondo's rating. 

Dragic will also be playing with more talent in Los Angeles. His numbers will increase if he's dishing the ball off to guys like Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant. 

He's also a legitimate defensive player. Opposing point guards have a Player Efficiency Rating of just 12.3 when going up against Dragic, which is well below average. 

Jeremy Lin

That's right folks, Jeremy Lin's contract is up after this season.

After having one of the most exciting runs in NBA history during February, Lin is out with an injury for possibly the rest of the season. With that, his days with the New York Knicks may be numbered.

When Mike D'Antoni resigned, Lin's role on the team was altered. D'Antoni's system was a major part of Lin's success because he runs a pick-and-roll system that was conducive for Lin.

Ever since he left, the team has been more centered around Carmelo Anthony and Lin's minutes declined.

Lin knows that he can be an elite starting point guard in the league. He's a skilled talent that needs to be in the right system. In Los Angeles, he can run the show and distribute to Kobe, Pau and Andrew and facilitate. 

The Lakers would love to have a guy like Lin on their team. He's young, quick, athletic, and hard working. The pick-and-roll would work wonders with Bynum in the paint and Lin will receive the baton eventually from the aging Bryant as the leader of the team.

Lin had a Player Efficiency Rating of 19.97—good enough for 10th among point guards and that was without much league experience. Lin was able to iron out the kinks in his game play the more often he played. He wouldn't turn the ball over as much and his defense improved, too.

The only problem is, with all the drama that is already associated with the Lakers season, does the team want all the attention that comes along with signing Lin?

Ramon Sessions

Of course the Lakers can just stick with what they have and bring back Ramon Sessions. He certainly deserves a shot to be the long-term starter for the team after his solid performance since the trading deadline.

Sessions has brought explosiveness from the point guard position for the first time in a long time in Los Angeles. He can attack to the paint, dish the ball to his teammates, and play stingy defense.

He's not Deron Williams and Steve Nash, but he's an affordable and valuable piece for the Lakers.

Plus, unlike the aforementioned free agents, Sessions is already acclimated to playing with the Lakers. It took some time, but after weeks of studying the offense and defense, Sessions has no trouble running the Lakers.

The Lakers are a different team with Sessions in the lineup. Before the trade, they were getting little to no contributions from the point guard positions. Derek Fisher and Steve Blake were in the cellar in terms of Player Efficiency Rating rankings among point guards. They also couldn't do anything to contain elite point guards like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Derrick Rose, who would have field days against Fisher and Blake.

With Sessions, the pick-and-roll has come alive and they're more stable defensively. They can at least contain the elite point guards in the league.

Sessions has a player option this summer and there's no doubt that he would love staying with the Lakers. But if he sees that they're expressing interest in guys like Deron Williams and Steve Nash, he might look elsewhere for a new contract.