The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be headed toward backup plans in NBA free agency with big-name players seemingly passing on the opportunity to play for the storied franchise. One player that will likely get a call from Los Angeles, after LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan officially make their decisions, is Robin Lopez.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Lopez is a potential candidate for the Lakers:
Another serious consideration for Robin Lopez: The Lakers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 3, 2015
The consensus around the league has Jordan either heading back to the Los Angeles Clippers or joining the Dallas Mavericks in free agency. LaMarcus Aldridge also seems to be headed to a team other than the Lakers.
Aldridge has been linked to seriously considering the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. The Lakes are supposedly still in the running after news of a second meeting with the team surfaced, but it remains doubtful he’ll be wearing purple and gold next season.
As for Lopez, the veteran center was linked to the New York Knicks before talk of the Lakers being a contender for his services on Thursday, via Wojnarowski:
Free agent center Robin Lopez discussing deal with Knicks that would earn him in range of $12M-$13M per season, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 3, 2015
If the Knicks are truly ready to sign Lopez for the amount mentioned, the Lakers will have to jump at the opportunity to top it or at least hope he comes to Los Angeles for less if the team is able to land Aldridge. Lopez and Aldridge played well alongside one another with the Portland Trail Blazers the last two years and would be a considerable upgrade to the Lakers frontcourt.
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