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The free-agent frenzy starts a little early for the Los Angeles Lakers thanks to the buyout market. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the Lakers will hold free-agent meetings with two former All-Star centers, Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge. The Lakers will be competing with several teams for both players, including franchises with cap space to likely offer more lucrative deals.
“Drummond will speak with the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, according to sources,” Haynes detailed.
The Lakers have the advantage of arguably offering Drummond the best chance to win a title. Teams like the Knicks and Hornets can offer Drummond much more than the veteran minimum that the Lakers can put in front of the center. The Athletic’s John Hollinger provided an example of what the Knicks can offer Drummond in the way of a lucrative multi-year deal.
“Second, and just as interesting, is that if Drummond were bought out, the Knicks could sign him to a long-term deal right away,” Hollinger detailed. “With $15 million in room, they could ink him to a pro-rated four-year, $64 million deal — essentially conducting his free agency a few months early. Such a deal would likely be far more palatable for Drummond than one of the minimums available from contenders.”
Drummond averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 blocks in 25 starts for the Cavs this season.
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The Lakers Are 1 one 4 Teams That Will Meet With Aldridge
The Lakers will also be one of four teams to meet with Aldridge in the coming days. The Heat are believed to be the favorite to land Aldridge, while the Lakers have commonly been linked to Drummond.
“Yahoo Sources: LaMarcus Aldridge will have conversations with the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets before deciding on his next destination,” Haynes tweeted.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski labeled the Heat as the “frontrunner” to sign Aldridge. The good news for the Lakers is both players received money from their former teams as part of their buyout, so they may be willing to take less with L.A. for the rest of the season before hitting free agency.
“Once LaMarcus Aldridge completes a buyout with the Spurs, the Miami Heat are expected to emerge as a frontrunner to sign him, sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski noted on Twitter. “Aldridge plans to talk with several teams before finalizing a decision.”
Aldridge averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21 appearances for the Spurs this season. San Antonio decided not to play Aldridge in hopes they could find a trade partner for the center.
The Lakers Were Not Able to Land Lowry Without Including Horton-Tucker in a Trade
Rumors heated up hours before the trade deadline linking the Lakers to Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. The Lakers, Heat and Sixers were the top contenders to pull off a trade for Lowry.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported the Lakers were not willing to add Talen Horton-Tucker in a deal for Lowry. The Raptors ultimately decided to hold off on trading Lowry, and now the Lakers will look to the buyout market to improve their roster. Drummond and Aldridge represent the best available players to hit the market, and it will be interesting to see if the Lakers’ title hopes will allow them to land one of the big men.
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