Los Angeles Lakers Roster News & Free Agency: Should Lakers Sign LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, Rajon Rondo or Kevin Love?
What an offseason this could be for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 16-time NBA champions have a lot of salary cap space opening up with the retirement of Steve Nash and the departure of Jeremy Lin. Now, the Lakers lucked out on lottery night, grabbing the No. 2 pick in the draft, but rumors have been swirling that they could trade that pick.
The Lakers have a history of signing big-name players in the offseason. The glamour of playing in Los Angeles and having the chance to win a title has attracted superstars for decades. Some of the best free agent players this offseason that the Lakers have shown interest in include Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Rajon Rondo.
It doesn't appear as if the Memphis Grizzlies will let Marc Gasol out of their claws.
Rondo has been tied to the Lakers since his Boston Celtics playing days. The Lakers don't have an elite point guard, and with Lin likely signing elsewhere, this appears to be a wise connection. Rondo is one of the best ball distributors in the game today. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Rondo isn't without his flaws. He's a terrible free throw shooter, hasn't shown any improvement on his jump shot, and has a bad history with coaches.
The other big name that has been connected to the Lakers for quite some time is Kevin Love. Love has a big choice to make this offseason, a $16.7 million decision. Love can opt back in with the Cleveland Cavaliers for that amount. For most people, that would seem obvious, but it offers no long-term guaranteed money, and Tristan Thompson will consume so much of the playing time going forward.
Love will cost a pretty penny, but he could be worth it for the Lakers. Love is a very skilled forward who can score at a high rate. He is an exceptional perimeter shooter for a big man, and his price tag may have dropped considering the Cavaliers made it to the finals without him. Love did play college ball at UCLA.
DeAndre Jordan will be one of the hottest names to hit free agency on July 1. Jordan is a monster player who dominates the paint area, grabs a ton of rebounds, and he is a terrific rebounder. On top of that, Jordan hasn't missed a single game the last four seasons. Jordan would be a great fit in Los Angeles, especially considering he has played there the last seven seasons with the Clippers.
The biggest issue with the Lakers signing Jordan is free throw shooting. Numerous teams around the league have "hack a shaq'd" Jordan, sending him to the line time and time again.
And then, there's LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge has everything the Lakers could want. He's a great scorer, makes his free throws, stays healthy, and he has averaged 10.5 rebounds per game the last two seasons. There's no roster or player profile issue here for the Lakers, just desire. The Dallas Mavericks are expected to make a big run at Aldridge this offseason. Aldridge is from Texas, and he played his college ball there. The Lakers will have to offer a lot of money if they want Aldridge because numerous teams will be bidding for his services.
I took to Twitter and asked fans who the Lakers should focus on most this offseason.
If you were the Lakers, would you rather have... A. DeAndre Jordan B. LaMarcus Aldridge C. Rajon Rondo D. Kevin Love
— Damon A. Salvadore (@DamonSalvadore1) June 22, 2015
@DamonSalvadore1 B. But I'd like to have any of those guys. #Lakers — #JocTheVote#VoteAgon (@Ruthless_Turtle) June 22, 2015
— Chris (38-30) (@ChiKidChris33) June 22, 2015
@DamonSalvadore1 B — Kassem Adoure (@kassemadoure) June 23, 2015
@DamonSalvadore1 b or d
— #1 pick (@micah_mal84) June 22, 2015
@DamonSalvadore1 D — Dan (@Sixers_Fan1243) June 22, 2015
@DamonSalvadore1 Either A or B
— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTulsNFL) June 22, 2015
@DamonSalvadore1 lamarcus — ¡Flex Prince! (@Rik_Ums05) June 22, 2015
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter
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