The Los Angeles Lakers were fortunate enough to get a second meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge after the first one reportedly didn’t go as well as they would have liked. It seems as if the Lakers did much better in their second chance.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
Despite what they believed to be a good presentation, the Lakers don’t believe Aldridge was ‘wooed’ by it according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times:
Sources said Lakers had a" good presentation" with LaMarcus Aldridge Thursday, but Lakers "don't think he was wooed" by it.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) July 3, 2015
By all accounts, the Lakers are almost definitely out of the running for LaMarcus Aldridge and this pretty much seals it. Even with the second meeting, it looks as if Aldridge has his heart set on somewhere else and it is probably best for the Lakers to move on to other opportunities.
The problem now for the Lakers is that there aren’t many options left for them in free agency. With the majority of top players already agreeing to contracts with other teams, the Lakers will have to move quickly in order to grab someone.
Likely the top target remaining is small forward Tobias Harris who is a restricted free agent. However, there have been reports that the Orlando Magic would not match a major offer for Harris, which would make it seem as if he is attainable. Kosta Koufos of the Memphis Grizzlies is considered the best big man remaining in free agency.
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Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)