Lakers Targeting Nikola Vucevic in Free Agency, Per Report

Nikola Vucevic Lakers

Getty Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic plays against the Denver Nuggets.

Coming off of a career season, Nikola Vucevic is looking to work out a new deal and stick around with the Orlando Magic moving forward. However, with Mo Bamba waiting in the wings to take over the center position, they might not want to dedicate such a hefty portion of their cap at the center position.

As a result, if the Magic aren’t able to come to terms on a deal, Vucevic would instantly become one of the premier free agent targets on the market and one that could draw considerable attention from the Los Angeles Lakers.


Lakers Targeting Nikola Vucevic in Free Agency, Per Report

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on air that the Lakers and Celtics would be two of the leading frontrunners for Vucevic’s services. With both teams in desperate need for a big man, Vucevic fills a crucial role and may set up a slight bidding war between the NBA’s two most storied franchises.

Al Horford opted out of the last year of his deal in Boston and the Lakers only have Moritz Wagner on their roster as a true center, leading both teams to try and hit the free agent market hard in order to address their needs.


Other Lakers Free Agency Targets

Aside from Vucevic, the Lakers are linked to the vast majority of max contract free agents on the market. Aside from Golden State’s injured duo of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, just about every other free agent has been linked in one way or another to the Lakers.

Out of those elite players, the most realistic options to actually come to LA seem to be Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard. While Jimmy Butler seems to be a reasonable option, Kawhi is a complete wildcard – giving the Lakers as good a chance as anyone to win the sweepstakes.