The Los Angeles Lakers have made some drastic upgrades to their roster over the course of the NBA off-season thus far with the addition of two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, veteran forward Antawn Jamison and retaining Jordan Hill, but the team is still in need of a viable option behind Kobe Bryant at shooting guard.
With the Lakers limited in free agency, GM Mitch Kupchak and company are only seeking out free agents that might be willing to sign with the team for the veteran’s minimum. Obviously, with Nash locked in for three years and Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum or Dwight Howard also in the mix, the attraction of Los Angeles might be enough to lure in a shooting guard capable of shouldering the load while Kobe gets some much needed rest of the sidelines.
After losing out on Delonte West recently, the list of potential free agents at shooting guard has gotten that much thinner with most candidates over 30. Another intriguing option that the Lakers should consider a worthy candidate is sharp shooting veteran Michael Redd according to Mark Medina of the L.A. Times:
“The Lakers remain in dire need of acquiring a quality shooter at a bargain-bin price. Redd appears to be the perfect candidate.”
At 32 years-old, 33 in August, Redd is nowhere the scorer he once was with the Milwaukee Bucks a few years back. Since leaving Milwaukee, Redd has yet to reclaim his All-Star form as one of the best pure shooters and natural scorers in the league.
Despite that being the case, the Lakers might be willing to roll the dice on Redd in order to backup Kobe. Redd brings a few things to the table if signed by the Lakers as he can stretch the defense with his outside shooting and possibly reignite his ability to light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis.
Along with his scoring ability and possibility of signing for the veteran’s minimum, Redd has gotten to know Nash during his time with the Phoenix Suns. Nash may help convince Redd to come to Los Angeles.
Last season, Redd averaged 8.2 points per game for the Suns. Redd didn’t exactly impressive anyone with his shooting percentages last season with 31 percent from outside and 40 percent from the floor. Even though Redd struggled with his shooting efficiency at times, it’s hard to argue that he didn’t have somewhat of a resurgence in Phoenix that may turn out to be promising if he signs with Los Angeles.
Signing Redd could potentially be another low risk and high reward situation like the Lakers were able to pull off with Jamison. With no teams showing much interest in Redd, the Lakers will almost certainly be able to get him for the veteran’s minimum to bring in another veteran shooter with scoring ability.