Getty Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors celebrates the team's NBA championship.
Despite not landing Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers wound up getting themselves an extremely solid two-way wing from the Toronto Raptors. One of the NBA’s premier sharpshooters, Danny Green brings shooting that the Lakers are desperate for alongside some much-needed defense.
Leonard’s decision certainly handicapped the Lakers’ ability to go after some of the other top free agents that could have fit well alongside both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That said, the Lakers still have James and Davis alongside some solid role-players and cap flexibility to build out a solid roster around them.
The addition of Green was just a starting point for the Lakers, who’ll now look to round out their roster heading into the next stages of the offseason.
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Lakers Sign Danny Green In Free Agency After Kawhi Leonard Saga
Danny Green will sign a two-year, $30M deal with the Lakers. (via ESPN)
Danny Green signed a two year $30 million contract with the Lakers, as ESPN reported. The Lakers will now look to utilize their cap space in order to scoop up some of the best remaining players on the free agency market. The Lakers still have considerable cap space, about $17 million, remaining to use before the Anthony Davis trade kicks in and their cap space shrinks a bit.
Expect the Lakers to try and make a few more moves prior to the Noon ET deadline on July 6th in order to take advantage of their cap situation.
Other Lakers Free Agency Needs
The Lakers are expected to bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a two year, $16 million deal, per league sources.
The Lakers also decided to bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a two-year deal helping to further address their shooting and defensive needs, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported. However, the Lakers still need to address the issue of a lack of point guard and true center on the roster. With Caldwell-Pope’s signing eating another $8 million out of their available $17 million, the Lakers are left with $9 million more to make some signings before having to dip into veteran minimum contracts and the room exception.
DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo both still sit available on the free agent market and look to be interesting options for the Lakers moving forward. Especially considering Cousins is coming off injuries, the Lakers could potentially buy-low on an All-NBA talent and take a gamble that he returns to even 75% of what he once was. The market for Cousins is reportedly fairly thin, so look for the Lakers to be a potential suitor for his services.
Regarding Rondo, he plays well alongside both LeBron and Anthony Davis and seems to be an obvious fit to bring back on a cheap, team-friendly deal. Rondo understands he won’t get another $9 million deal and while his best days are behind him, he can still bring an elite basketball IQ and ability to distribute the ball to the table.
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