Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz from Los Angeles Surrounding Goran Dragic and More
The Los Angeles Lakers have won two consecutive games, but the roster is far from playoff-contender status in the loaded Western Conference.
It is no wonder, then, that the team has been connected to a number of players, both for the rest of the season and the future. Kobe Bryant and Nick Young could use some help, although formidable reinforcements may not be coming until next season.
With that in mind, read on to see the latest speculation coming out of Los Angeles.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News passed along an update on Goran Dragic of the Phoenix Suns that mentioned the Lakers as a possible destination if Dragic enters free agency at the end of the season:
"Dragic will have an 'open' free agency, league sources told Sporting News. When Dragic opts out and becomes a free agent next July, he will be a sought-after commodity, and while Phoenix would get the first hearing, Dragic will have options...
The Lakers also figure to be a potential landing spot for Dragic, a source said.
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Deveney pointed out that the Lakers are expected to make a splash next offseason considering they only have about $36 million committed to players for the 2015-16 campaign, and Dragic may not fit the impact-superstar billing.
However, he won the league’s Most Improved Player Award last season and scored 20.3 points a night while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. The talent is definitely there to be an excellent player in the Lakers backcourt.
Dragic may want to leave Phoenix because of the logjam in the backcourt that was created when Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ennis joined a team that already featured Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Gerald Green. There are only so many shots to go around, and Dragic hinted at that when discussing why his team got off to a slow start, via AZCentral.com’s Paul Coro, “Because there’s only one ball and we’re all point guards. That’s an easy answer.”
It is not difficult to envision Dragic taking Jeremy Lin’s starting point guard spot and playing alongside Bryant as a distributor and someone who is ready to attack the basket or hit a perimeter shot when defenders collapse on No. 24.
The Lakers may be targeting bigger fish, but Dragic has the talent to be a key contributor on a playoff contender.
Gal Mekel
Marc Stein of ESPN.com noted that the Lakers could be bringing in a new point guard soon:
David Pick of Eurobasket added more context to the Gal Mekel tryout:
There is nothing wrong with creating a little competition, because there will certainly be plenty of it at the NBA level if either player makes the roster.
Stein hits on the main point here with Mekel. He could create shots for others on the team considering his main role in the 31 games he played for the Dallas Mavericks last season was as a distributor.
He averaged two assists per game, but that total jumps to 7.8 assists a night if it is stretched into per-36-minute totals.
With Steve Nash out for the season, Mekel would bolster the point guard depth and give the Lakers another ball-handler who could set Bryant up to score. Los Angeles needs healthy contributors, and Mekel proved he can run an offense for spurts off the bench in Dallas last season with crisp passes.
Jordan Hamilton
Pick also passed along the details of another workout:
Jordan Hamilton was in the NBA the past three seasons with the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. He would help the defense with his combination of length and athleticism at 6’7” and ability to play either shooting guard or small forward. That type of versatility is critical for a team that could use another perimeter defender when it is allowing 110.2 points per game.
What’s more, Hamilton could give Bryant some much-needed rest in the middle of games or provide some small forward depth behind Wesley Johnson, who is only shooting 38.9 percent from the field.
Offensively, Hamilton’s best asset is his 35.8 career shooting percentage from three-point range. If and when defenders focus too much on Bryant, Hamilton could make them pay from the outside.
It is important to note with both Hamilton and Mekel that the Lakers are at the 15-man roster maximum now and would have to get rid of a player to add someone else.
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