The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of decisions to make regarding their role players who helped them win the 2020 NBA championship. Much focus has gone to the likes of Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Dwight Howard, but another extremely important player whose intentions are unknown is veteran guard Avery Bradley.
Perhaps because he chose not to play in the bubble due to concerns over his son, Bradley has fallen under the radar but he was a major reason why the Lakers held the top seed in the Western Conference during the regular season. Now Bradley has a big decision to make and first was a noteworthy change as he prepares for the upcoming free agency period.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Bradley switched agents as he contemplates whether or not to decline his $5 million player option:
Lakers guard Avery Bradley tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium he is changing representation and plans to sign with agent Charles Briscoe. He is evaluating whether to decline his $5M player option.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2020
There were a lot of questions about Bradley when he signed with the Lakers ahead of last season as many believed his best days were behind him. But the veteran proved doubters wrong as he became arguably the Lakers’ most consistent role player.
He was playing his best basketball at the time the season shut down, averaging 8.6 points while shooting 36.4% from deep and setting the tone defensively for the team.
The question that must be answered for Bradley and his new agent is whether he can get more money than a $5 million he currently is line to receive. Under normal circumstances the answer would likely be a resounding yes, but with free agency occurring over such a short period of time and training camps opening in just a couple of weeks, all of which under a pandemic, it might be better for Bradley to just finish out his contract.
Thunder guard Dennis Schroder rumored trade target
Whether or not Bradley returns, the Lakers are still looking to make some improvements to their roster and one possibility is Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder. The Lakers made calls on him at last season’s trade deadline and apparently are checking on his availability once again.
Schroder had arguably the best season of his career last year as he averaged 18.9 points and 4.0 assists while posting career highs in both field goal and 3-point percentage.
Schroder’s contract is also up after the 2021 season, so it wouldn’t hurt the Lakers’ salary cap for the future, but whether the team has enough assets to entice Thunder general manager Sam Presti is unclear.
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