Dwight Back To LA?!
Hass
30 / C / 6'10" (Player Option $23 mill)
He will be in the decline part of his career, has alot of red flags and is injury prone, but he can still be a defensive threat and a great rebounder with some offensive pop. Although it was a bitter and failed experiment, the opportunity for a second tenure for success is possible. Maybe he did have a huge problem with Kobe and didn't fit in the D'Antoni system, maybe he would be better with less negativity and being the alpha in the team. Then again 3 rooks are emerging as future All Stars and The Lakers wont be the only team seeking out his service. Also, Dwight is no longer a franchise or a max contract player, so asking him to risk his $23.3 Mill is a bit much.
Draft Pick:
Mid way through the season when the lakers were 30 games from .500, it became apparent that the Lakers were going to have yet another bad year. So who will they Draft if they get the #1 pick? They stand at 20% to get the #1 and 56% to stay with the Top 3 pick (tankathon) At the time it was clear, "Tank For Simmons" the LSU phenom, who was being compared to or being a combination of Magic and Lebron, was the clear cut stand out only pick worth the tanking. Now with the season coming to an end and march madness almost over a couple have stood out as possible front runners over Simmons. Take for instance Brandon Ingram. The 6'9", 190 lbs Freshman Guard from Duke averaged 17 PPG / 7 RPG / 2 APG with a 41% from 3 point. Has comparisons to Kevin Durant, long, lanky, very effective and knows how to use his length even impressing Kobe Bryant. He is also ahead of the pace from Durant's Texas tenure. The other stand out Buddy Hields. 6'4", 214 lbs Senior Guard from Oklahoma is posting 25 PPG / 6 RPG / 2 APG has been phenominal and even put on a show for Kobe scoring 37 to advance to the final 4. He is a mirror image of Klay Thompson with a quick and accurate pop and shoot with a 47% from 3.
Other Free Agents the Lakers should target:
It is very important they look into hiring a new coach, one who wont bash the rookies and stunt their growth. I highly reccomend Scott Brooks as the leading candidate, followed by Mark Jackson because lets be real, he built this Warrior squad to be these monsters. Followed by Tom Thibodeau the defensive specialist. Maybe hire Thibs and Brooks and have Brooks focus on the offense and be the main coach and Thibodeau on the defensive end. Few teams now have multiple ex-head coaches running as assistants (Clippers/Woodson, OKC/Monty, Timberwolves/Porter, Knicks/Longstaff) to name a few . The Lakers are in rebuild mode with a lot of flaws, so I don't expect Durant to come, he's doing very good in OKC and I believe he'll stay put with Westbrook and build around them with an already established 55+ win team. Drummond will get a max contract and as for LeBron, well he is unpredictable at this point. I guess he wants the attention to be on him this off season before he decides, if anything he'll end up back in Miami or stay whatever drama queen.
DeMar DeRozan: 26 / SG / 6'7" (Player Option $9.5 mill)
He could possibly be the one to carry the torch, who's to say no? DeRozan is very quick and great at finishing at the rim with contact. He could either drive to the rim or take the mid jumper. Posting 24 PPG / 4 RPG / 4 APG. With rising talent and Lou Williams around him, he could be the player to push the Lakers forward.
Kent Bazemore: 26 / SF / 6'5" (Unrestricted)
2nd time around, really the first because he only played half a season in LA before leaving. He brings alot of energy and athleticism while on the court and has been the base scorer off the bench for Atlanta posting 12 PPG / 5 RPG / 2 APG. With Lou Williams, Nick Young and Bazemore off the bench on any given night, he could errupt for a huge win.
Hassan Whiteside: 26 / C / 7' (Unrestricted)
He already stated he didn't want to come to a losing franchise, but would a successful off season with the right moves and acquisitions change his mind? A great defensive and offensive force, currently posting 14 PPG and 12 RPG with 4 blocks per game and isn't playing 30 minutes a game. Not only A huge step up from Roy Hibbert, but a potential DPOY.
Al Horford: 29 / C / 6'10" (Unrestricted)
Currently posting a 15 PPG / 7 RPG / 3 APG, can be a huge step up from what Roy is doing now. He's slightly a combination of Chris Bosh and Tim Duncan on a smaller level
Pau Gasol: 35 / F/C / 7' (Unrestricted)
Even at his age he is still very healthy and effective posting 17 ppg / 11 rpg / 4 apg. In his last year in LA Pau carried the bulk of the weight on his shoulder and yet Laker fans didnt appreciate his efforts untill he was gone. If the Lakers dont pick him up and he doesn't retire he could be a huge free agent whom everyone would want his service. Spurs and Cleveland might swoop him up.
Trade For Butler?
The Vertical's Chris Mannix reported Boston tried to trade for him at the deadline and a lot of speculations are indicating Orlando would be the front runner. If all it takes is a high draft pick and some players look to the Lakers to also be in the mix.
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