Getty DeAndre Jordan of the New York Knicks looks on while playing the Detroit Pistons.
With the NBA Draft in the rearview mirror and the Lakers now up to a total of seven players on the roster, free agency is all that remains for the Lakers to fill out the rest of their depth. Still, with glaring holes at both point guard and center (as Davis prefers to play PF) the Lakers aren’t really any closer to solving their organizational depth problems following the draft.
That isn’t to knock the pick as Talen Horton-Tucker might wind up being the steal of the second round. However, the fact remains that Moritz Wagner is the only true center rostered while Isaac Bonga is the only true point guard – though LeBron handles ball-handling duties as a point forward.
Lakers Free Agency: DeAndre Jordan Among Two New Center Targets [Report]
According to @WindhorstESPN, the Lakers have interest in Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan.
After Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned that the Lakers could end up being big players for Nikola Vucevic, Brian Windhorst tied them to two of the other top free agent big men. DeAndre Jordan is coming off another grabbing every rebound imaginable and while he isn’t the flashiest big man, you know he is going to play great defense, rebound exceptionally well, and offer an excellent above the rim lob target. Though he carries a hefty price tag, the Lakers could use some of his consistent production on their battered roster.
Brook Lopez is another interesting target – though one that might be a bit tougher for the Lakers to land. The Lakers happily let Brook Lopez walk last offseason and coming off an extremely impressive year for the Milwaukee Bucks, looks like he should command at least a decent salary on the free agent market. The Lakers could have had Lopez for a team-friendly multi-year deal last summer but now (assuming he even negotiates with the Lakers) stand to pay a hefty premium for his services. That said, his skill set does fit in perfectly with the team as he is a competent rim protector who can stretch the defense and consistently knock down the three ball – a rarity in the NBA.
Lakers Undrafted Free Agent Signings
The Lakers did make a move for a guard after the NBA Draft and decided to bring on Gonzaga shooting guard Zach Norvell on a two-way contract. While Norvell doesn’t fill one of their most glaring needs, he does offer competent three-point shooting coupled with decent size for an off-ball guard.
Norvell has a very solid feel for the game and the ability to have him spend a sizeable chunk of the year getting minutes in the G-League should be incredibly beneficial to his growth as a player. Especially if he shows off a consistent three-point shot at this level, Norvell might just carve out a very solid niche for himself in an offense that needs shooting.