Getty Two of the Lakers top free agent targets, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.
With LeBron James’ championship window starting to close, the Los Angeles Lakers have a clear objective to bring in at least one more star player to help shoulder the burden. While the free agent class as a whole is loaded with talent, the top two players in the class, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, are head and shoulders above the rest.
While the Lakers will almost certainly make a pass at both, they only have the money to bring one on board and need to target which player is their top priority in free agency. So which player should the Lakers choose to make their top option? The tall and lanky walking bucket or the two-way basketball robot?
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Lakers Free Agency Target: The Case For Kevin Durant
After injuries derailed LeBron and the Lakers season in 2018-19, many analysts started calling Kevin Durant the best player in the NBA. Durant’s height (listed at 6’11” but likely a bit taller) and long limbs make him nearly impossible to block as he can simply pull up and shoot over almost any wing in the league. Basically, Durant can score at will from basically anywhere on the court.
While the Lakers already have a number of players who traditionally play the small forward position, slotting in Durant alongside LeBron and the young core actually doesn’t fit terribly. LeBron and Durant should both be able to coexist on the court as Durant functions as a dominant off-ball scorer. Capable of either spotting up for an open shot or breaking down defenders one on one, the pairing would likely lead to a TON of easy looks for Durant.
From a defensive standpoint, Durant is almost as good as it gets. Durant is more than able to hold his own against heavier NBA forwards and uses his long arms well to poke balls free and disrupt shots. His lockdown defense on the wing has been almost as crucial to helping Golden State reach their level of dominance as his ability to give their offense a different, unguardable look. The Lakers desperately need defensive help and Durant would be able to offer a huge shot in the arm on that front.
Lakers Free Agency Target: The Case For Kawhi Leonard
While not as offensively gifted as Kevin Durant, nobody in the league is able to match Kawhi’s tenacious on-ball defense. Using his insanely long arms and massive hands to pluck balls out of passing lanes and contest any shot remotely close to him, Leonard is all over the court on the defensive end and plays with unmatched energy and IQ on that side of the ball.
Leonard doesn’t necessarily command the ball on offense more so than he efficiently plays his role. Kawhi’s offensive game has developed into one of the best in the league and as a result, he shoulders a much bigger portion of the offense than he did in years past. We’ve seen in the playoffs how taxing it can be for Leonard to give 100% on both sides of the ball for 40 minutes a game and playing him next to an elite playmaker like James could help get him better looks and keep him fresh deeper into games.
Perhaps most importantly, Leonard fits in a little better with the current roster makeup and won’t take the ball out of the hands of their young players as much as Durant would. While the Lakers are certainly in “win now” mode, they need those young pieces to get their fair share of looks in order to properly develop and become the necessary contributors to push the team into title contention. Where Durant can at times stagnate the offense by going iso (not that it’s ineffective), Leonard is more able to seamlessly slide into an offense and still get his buckets.
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