Over the past couple of weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office regime of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have made it clear that they don’t expect to be major players in free agency this year.
That doesn’t mean that they won’t sign anyone, the Lakers are simply focused on preserving their salary cap space for 2018. As such, any contract they give out is unlikely to have any guaranteed money after this season.
The Lakers focus in free agency is defense and shooting and in the early hours of free agency, the Lakers have reached out to a couple of veterans as well as a recent lottery pick who has yet to reach his potential, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:
Among the FAs the Lakers called tonight: Iggy, Rondo & Ben McLemore
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
Iguodala would seem to be the biggest long shot of the group as the two-time champion, and former NBA Finals MVP is likely looking to cash-in on what will be his last big contract in the league. His defense and veteran leadership are likely exactly what the Lakers are looking for to fit in with this young team.
Rondo, who was recently waived by the Bulls, is an excellent veteran point guard who showed that he can still impact the game in a big way down the stretch of last season, as well as the playoffs. The question for him would be whether he would take a short-term deal to play a backup role on the Lakers. Lonzo Ball seems set to be the starter at point guard.
McLemore would seem to be the exact type of players the Lakers would be looking to add. He is a young player with potential who can shoot the ball and defend multiple positions.
Whether the Lakers ultimately agree to terms with any of these players remains to be seen, but even though they aren’t being aggressive on big names this summer, the Lakers are still keeping tabs on potential players who could help them this season.
