After selecting D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown during the NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers shifted their focus to the free agent market as they continue their rebuilding efforts. General manager Mitch Kupchak mentioned their efforts will focus on adding front court players to their roster.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan seem to be top targets with the Lakers already landed meetings with the two big men. The Lakers met with Aldridge Tuesday night and will meet with Jordan Wednesday.
In addition, the Lakers will also be making to pitch to Greg Monroe on Wednesday as well, according to Bill Oram of the Orange County Register:
Lakers execs, including Mitch Kupchak and Byron Scott, on plane now to meet Greg Monroe in DC. Then back to LA to meet w/ DeAndre Jordan.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) July 1, 2015
The Lakers are among the five teams vying for Monroe’s services. In addition to the Lakers, Monroe is expected to meet with the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Portland Trail Blazers with some believing the Knicks to be the frontrunners.
At just 25 years-old, Monroe is one of the promising young big men in the league. Monroe spent five years with the Detroit Pistons originally as a center but moved over to power forward when Andre Drummond joined the team. Just weeks ago, the Pistons traded for Ersan Ilyasova which made Detroit’s future with Monroe essentially non-existent.
Monroe has indicated he wants to go a team that’s ready to win. The Lakers might have a ways to go to get back to their winning ways, but Monroe could definitely become a key piece in their plans. He averaged a double-double for the Pistons last season with 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds.
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