Players Lakers Should Target in Free Agency
The 2020 NBA Draft has come and gone, and as expected, the Los Angeles Lakers didn't make a selection.
Both of L.A.'s selections were traded, most recently the 28th overall pick as part of a package to acquire Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Schroder deal agreed to in principle and the draft in the rear view, the Lakers now turn their attention to free agency.
Naturally, the retention of Anthony Davis is the priority of the open-market period, which is slated to kick off at 6 p.m. ET on Friday. However, with players like Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also set to hit free agency, Los Angeles will need to at least consider external options on the open market.
Here, we'll examine three pending free agents who would make sense for Los Angeles.
Tristan Thompson
1 of 3
Presumably, the Lakers would like to have Dwight Howard back for the 2020-21 season. The big man proved to be a valuable complementary piece during the team's championship run, averaging 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per season.
If the Lakers cannot re-sign Howard, though, LeBron James' former teammate Tristan Thompson could be the perfect free-agent target.
The Cleveland Cavaliers center has averaged a double-double each of the past two seasons—he averaged 12.0 points and 10.1 rebounds this past season. He's also a tenacious defender who would fit in with the mindset coach Frank Vogel instilled in L.A. this past season.
From a schematic standpoint, adding Thompson at center would allow David to continue spending most of his time at power forward while only occasionally filling in at the center spot.
Thompson has experience playing alongside James—they won a title together in 2016—and that experience cannot be discounted. James' familiarity with J.R. Smith played a large role in the Lakers scooping him up ahead of the 2020 postseason.
Serge Ibaka
2 of 3
Another potential replacement for Howard could be Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka. While Ibaka has never played with James, he does have championship experience, having won the Larry O'Brien Trophy with the Raptors two seasons ago.
More importantly, the 31-year-old Ibaka is still playing at a high level—he averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds last season—and could help give the Lakers a boost on the offensive end of the court.
While Ibaka certainly wouldn't come at a bargain price, he is arguably a better fit for the current roster than Thompson, as FS1's Nick Wright recently suggested on First Things First:
"They have a decision to make. Do they try to keep Dwight, or do they let Dwight leave—probably to Golden State—and try to use their entire mid-level on maybe Tristan Thompson or the guy I think would fit better in Serge Ibaka. Those are the moving pieces."
If Howard cannot be retained, expect Thompson and Ibaka to immediately become two names atop the Lakers' wish list.
Carmelo Anthony
3 of 3
While James and Carmelo Anthony have never played for the same NBA squad, the two have remained friends since both being selected in the 2003 draft. Unsurprisingly, there have been plenty of rumors over the years linking the two together.
After resurrecting his career with the Portland Trail Blazers this past season, now could be the time for Anthony to join James and make a run at a championship.
With the Lakers, Anthony would likely be a rotational offensive piece often coming off the bench. However, that is precisely the type of player Los Angeles could use, as it often lacked a third scoring option after James and Davis this past season.
Anthony is no longer the scoring phenom he once was, but he proved he could still be dangerous this past season. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists while playing just under 33 minutes per game.
It's worth noting that Anthony has made it clear that he feels "home" in Portland. However, if the Trail Blazers don't make re-signing him a priority, he could be exactly the sort of sixth man that the Lakers should consider.
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