Getty LeBron James with JR Smith and Richard Jefferson.
So far in free agency, the youngest player the Los Angeles Lakers have signed is a 32-year-old Kent Bazemore. The team has certainly embraced experience over youth this offseason considering they already traded three players in their 20s to land a 32-year-old Russell Westbrook. The Lakers are going to be a very old team this season and time will tell if that’s a good or bad thing.
Former LeBron James teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers Richard Jefferson took note of the team’s willingness to go after older players and decided to send them a message.
I’m ready @lakers
At 41-years-old, Jefferson is more than likely joking but the Los Angeles native would fit it with what the Lakers are doing right now. However, the old veteran bench player role should be filled by Jared Dudley once again this season as it’s a position he has thrived in.
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Lakers Could Continue to Get Even Older
If you think the Lakers are old right now, they still have several roster spots to fill. One of those spots could be filled by a 37-year-old Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“One more player who they’re trying to sign and could decide as soon as today, Carmelo Anthony,” Wojnarowski said Tuesday morning on ESPN’s Get Up.
.@wojespn on the Lakers:
“One more player who they’re trying to sign and could decide as soon as today, Carmelo Anthony.”
👀
Anthony has been linked to the Lakers every time he’s been available since LeBron joined the team. The two have been friends for a long time. He may actually be a decent pick-up as he’s shown that he can leave his ego at the door. Last season, he came off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers and averaged 13.4 points a game, and made 40.9% of his 3-point attempts.
Anthony was once considered among the league’s superstars but those days are in the past. He has yet to win a championship throughout an 18-year career. Joining the Lakers would give him his best shot at one yet. However, they would also give him a much smaller role than if he signed with the New York Knicks. It’ll be interesting to see what matters to the 10-time All-Star.
Signing Talen Horton-Tucker Now Has Added Importance
With Alex Caruso signing with the Chicago Bulls on Monday, the Lakers have lost one of their best homegrown pieces. They should now turn their sties to Talen Horton-Tucker, who is currently a restricted free agent. Fortunately for Los Angeles, the market for him has been quiet thus far.
The Lakers need to make sure they sign him. He may not make much of an impact this year or even next, but the team has no young talent. The future will be very bleak for this team once LeBron retires. The jury is still out if Horton-Tucker will be a star, but if he is, the Lakers will be much better off in the future. That said, the team can’t overpay him right now and him being an unrestricted agent will give them a bit of leverage.
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