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In the process of dealing Mike Conley to the Jazz, the Grizzlies got back Kyle Korver and Jae Crowder. While Crowder is expected to stick around, Korver is a rumored to be waived in order to help free up more cap space. If Korver does end up getting waived and hitting the free agent market, LeBron James’ former teammate could fill a major need for the Lakers.
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Lakers Trying to Set up LeBron James-Kyle Korver Reunion?
Heading into his age 38 season, Korver doesn’t have too many more years left in the tank yet can still knock down the three-ball at an elite clip. Despite seeing his number drop slightly after being dealt to Utah midseason last year, Korver still shot 39.7% from downtown – far better than any player on the Lakers last season. Los Angeles is desperate for affordable shooting and seeing that Korver should be available on the league minimum, he makes an ideal target – should the Grizzlies waive him.
His familiarity playing alongside James should help cement his status as a top priority the Lakers are looking to cobble together a roster consisting of mostly free agents. It should take some time for the Lakers to get comfortable playing alongside one another this season and having players like Korver – who knows how to play off James – should help expedite that process a bit.
Lakers Trying To Free Up Cap Space For Another Max Contract?
After dealing for Anthony Davis (while not official just yet), the Lakers wouldn’t have enough money to go hunting for another max salary star in free agency. As a result, rumors have surfaced that the Lakers are interested in clearing out the remaining contracts (not named LeBron or AD) in order to have enough cap space to entice another superstar.
However, they could go another route and use the remaining cap space to simply fill out the roster with mid-tier role players in order to offer a bit more depth. Despite coming off the longest period of extended rest in his career, LeBron James is getting older and the Lakers might need to take a different approach to build a team around him compared to the tried and tested LeBron + Two Superstars method.
Either way, Korver should still be an ideal target but allocating that money in a more effective way will enable them to keep Korver rested and use him as a lethal bench weapon rather than a crucial rotational piece.
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Lakers Trying to Set up LeBron James-Kyle Korver Reunion?