On the first day of free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers are exploring all options in an effort to end the team’s five-year playoff drought.
Although all the attention is on LeBron James, the Lakers have been linked to DeMarcus Cousins and Clint Capela (restricted) and are expected to meet with them at some point.
As there were only a couple teams with cap space and most of them have already signed players, an intriguing path for Los Angeles is restricted free agency. Along with their own restricted free agent Julius Randle, the Lakers are interested in another player from the 2014 NBA Draft.
According to Marc J. Spears of ESPN, the Lakers are among teams interested in Aaron Gordon to begin free agency:
Outside of the Magic, a source said another team to keep an eye on in regards to Magic RFA forward Aaron Gordon is the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic GM John Hammond has already told @TheUndefeated that the hope is to re-sign @UncleDrewFilm star long-term. https://t.co/qr2HFFrBd9
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 1, 2018
Although the Lakers are interested in Gordon, the Orlando Magic will be able to match any offer they make for the former No. 4 pick.
The 22-year-old is coming off the best season of his young career after averaging 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 58 games. Most importantly, he improved his three-point shooting to 33.6 percent after shooting below 30 percent in his first three seasons.
As for the Lakers, they have established a two-year window for free agency. If James ultimately decides not to sign with them, there is a scenario of re-signing Julius Randle and continuing to develop the team’s young core while maintaining cap flexibility for 2019.
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