With the NBA trade deadline approaching, there are questions if the Los Angeles Lakers will be active. At 13-40, the Lakers currently have the fourth worst record in the league and only keep this year’s draft pick if it lands in the top-five.
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One of the players the Lakers are expected to pursue is Phoenix Suns point guard, Goran Dragic. With the Suns rumored to be looking for a first-round pick for Dragic at the trade deadline, the Lakers ‘plan to chase’ him with an expected max four-year contract offer this summer according to ESPN’s Marc Stein:
The Los Angeles Lakers, who have also coveted Dragic for some time, are likewise presumed to be intent on testing the Suns’ resolve when it comes to their Slovenian point guard, since sources say L.A. plans to chase Dragic with an expected max four-year contract offer this summer valued at an estimated $80 million.
With the Lakers failing to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season, this is perhaps the biggest off-season since 2004 when the franchise traded Shaquille O’Neal and re-signed Kobe Bryant. Armed with potentially a top-five draft pick that will likely feature Jahlil Okafor from Duke, the Lakers will also have cap space to sign two players to max contracts.
In a time when point guards dominate the league, the Lakers are looking to improve that position this off-season as Ronnie Price and Jeremy Lin have struggled. Along with Dragic, Rajon Rondo (unrestricted), Reggie Jackson (restricted) and Brandon Knight (restricted) will also be options for Los Angeles.
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