3 Names Linked To Lakers As Potential NBA Free Agency Targets

Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

There wasn’t a team in the NBA that disappointed as much as the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021-22 season. It was a disastrous campaign as they entered as championship hopefuls but failed to even qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Frank Vogel was fired shortly after the regular-season finale, the first of what will be many changes this offseason for the purple and gold. The front office could also see an overhaul, but more than anything, the roster needs some major changes.

There will be plenty of rumors surrounding Russell Westbrook this offseason, as Los Angeles will try and hit the reset button on the trade they made last offseason that backfired. Trading him will not be easy and there is a good chance that the Lakers are stuck with him.

That will make their decisions this offseason that much more important. Without much money to spend, they will have to find bargains and hope they return excellent results, much in the way that Malik Monk did this season.

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Monk is one of the three players mentioned over at Bleacher Report as potential NBA free agency targets and it makes sense. He was one of their only bright spots this season, signing a veteran’s minimum deal and producing career-high numbers across the board.

He very well may have priced himself out of Los Angeles, but it is a place that he is comfortable, which will play into his free agency decision. However, it is very easy to get comfortable in a new city if a team is willing to pay you tens of millions of dollars for the duration of your contract.

If they take that route again, Kris Dunn is someone that could be of interest. Dunn has struggled to latch on with a team since being drafted fifth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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A big reason for his struggles has been his inability to consistently shoot the ball. He has a career shooting line of .429/.299/.739, which isn’t very encouraging. However, the Lakers would benefit from his playmaking and excellent defense at the point of attack.

Spacing would be an issue with Dunn on the court, but his defense could make up for that, especially when you are in the position that the Lakers are when it comes to the salary cap. But, they could find some spacing with the third person to make the list at Bleacher Report in T.J. Warren.

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Warren hasn’t been able to do much the last two seasons because of a stress fracture in his foot. It couldn’t have been worse timing for him, as the injury occurred after he broke out in the Orlando Bubble in 2020 with some impressive scoring performances.

His NBA free agency will be an intriguing one because he has shown that he can be an above-average player in the league. But, being sidelined for essentially two seasons is a serious knock against him.

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Warren is the kind of low-risk, high-reward kind of signing the Lakers need to pursue. If he is healthy, he provides a lot of what the team is looking for, and with limited options to upgrade the roster, he is worth taking a shot on.

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