Lakers News: How Ed Davis Opting out Shakes Up NBA Draft, Free-Agency Plans
The Los Angeles Lakers will have a busy draft day and offseason ahead of them. With the No. 2 pick in Thursday night's draft, they can choose between Duke's Jahlil Okafor, Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell or even dealing the pick.
There are also plenty of free agents to pursue in order to rebuild a team that had just 21 wins, second worst in franchise history.
Then on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus reported this:
In his only season with the Lakers, Davis appeared in 79 games, starting 24 of them, averaging 8.3 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. The 6'10" power forward was second on the team in rebounds and the third-leading scoring forward.
Davis signed a two-year, $2.1 million deal last season with the Lakers, according to Pincus.
So what does this mean for the Lakers? With Davis' departure and Jordan Hill likely to follow him out, the Lakers are going to be in need of some big men. They could not have picked a better year to do so as there are plenty of options available.
Their easiest option could come from the draft. With the No. 2 overall pick, they could address their need by drafting Duke's Jahlil Okafor. Okafor averaged 17.3 points per game and 8.5 rebounds in his freshman year. According to DraftExpress.com's Jonathan Givony, Okafor could be a force to be reckoned with.
"Standing 6-11, 270 pounds, with a 7-5 wingspan, a 9-2 ½ standing reach and absolutely gigantic hands, Okafor has ideal physical attributes for an NBA center. He's extremely nimble and agile for a player his size on top of that, running the floor well when motivated, and being very graceful with his movements.
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The Lakers don't have many other options in terms of frontcourt help. Other than Carlos Boozer, the Lakers did not have a power forward or center listed on their roster that averaged more than 8.5 points per game.
With Okafor's selection, the Lakers run the risk of taking more time as a middle-of-the-road team to fully develop the 19-year-old.
That is why the Lakers were so interested in the Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins. After Kings management repeatedly said that Cousins was not going anywhere, head coach George Karl reportedly said that he wants his All-Star gone, according to ESPN.
Karl's behavior has aggravated Kings owner Vivek Ranadive so much that, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard, he "has considered firing George Karl, who was hired as coach four months ago to help turn around the struggling franchise."
It seems that Cousins has the backing of upper management and if anyone in that franchise was to be on the move, Karl would be more likely to go. So the Lakers might not be able to land Cousins, but there are a pair of free agents the Lakers are also interested in.
On Wednesday, Kevin Love opted out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The forward missed a majority of the playoff run for the Eastern Conference champions after a dislocated shoulder against the Boston Celtics. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Lakers will be in contention for Love.
Love would bring a multi-dimensional game to an offense that ranked in the bottom half of the league in scoring with 98.5 points per game. Averaging 16.4 points per game last year, he adds another threatening scoring option to go with Kobe Bryant, even though it remains to be seen how much the Lakers will be able to get out of him in the near future.
While Love has opted out of his contract, there is a good chance the Portland Trail Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge is going to test the market as well. A source told Stein and Broussard that "he's gone. There's a 99.9 percent chance that he's out of Portland."
Aldridge is the true sense of a power forward with his size and rebounding ability. At 6'11", an inch taller than Love, and 240 pounds, Aldridge averaged 23.4 points per game and 10.2 rebounds and brings a well-polished game closer to the basket. While his low-post play is hard to stop, he brings a mid-range jumper that is just as effective.
Sources told Stein and Broussard they "firmly believe" the Lakers will be pursuing Aldridge. Rebounding prowess like Aldridge has can also help the Lakers, who averaged just under 44 per game.
With high-profile names like Love and Aldridge, expensive price tags will be asked of the organization in which they are interested in. The Lakers could free up $24 million in total space just by not picking up Hill's option, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Expect the Lakers to be flashing some serious cash soon.
It is all for the Lakers' taking at this point. They have been presented multiple avenues of turning things around after a historically bad season. Tonight's NBA draft will help show what the Lakers' direction will be. If they take Okafor, then they might stay away from multiple free-agent forwards. If they deal it, then the Lakers are going all-in on the market with proven veterans.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com
