Free agency has yet to officially begin, but there has been plenty of action that suggests a very active summer for the NBA.
With a new CBA in place that has more punitive punishments for teams that spend above the salary cap, front offices have begun to cut players they probably wouldn’t have under the previous agreements. For example, the L.A. Clippers made the surprising decision to cut Eric Gordon in order to save over $100 million in luxury tax money.
Gordon played 27 games with the Clippers and looked like a worthy fit next to their star wing tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, the veteran suddenly finds himself on the market and is already drawing interest from several suitors.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that can always use more shooting and are reportedly looking into signing Gordon in free agency via Kelly Iko of The Athletic:
Lakers, Grizzlies, Wolves, Suns, Bucks, Blazers and others — league sources say. Gordon, 34, who was recently waived by the Los Angeles Clippers, is said to be prioritizing an outlined role with a contender.
The Lakers opened up avenues to sign free agents after waiving Mo Bamba’s non-guaranteed deal and declining the team option on Malik Beasley’s contract. Although they’ve still got to figure out extension numbers for Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell, they will still have the ability to sign Gordon via exceptions like the mid-level, bi-annual or veteran minimum.
Despite being 34 years old, Gordon would still have utility as a 3-point shooter as he shot 37.1% on 5.2 attempts per game. As the roster currently stands, L.A. doesn’t have a true knockdown shooter so the guard has an easy to project on next year’s roster.
While getting Gordon would be a solid addition for the purple and gold, they will be competing with several other contenders for his services. The Lakers will need to be prudent when deciding who they sign using the resources they have available, but Gordon profiles as the type of player they should go after.
Lakers increasingly confident they can sign Bruce Brown in free agency
Los Angeles has been linked to almost every coveted free agent so far, but one name gaining serious steam is Bruce Brown. Brown helped the Denver Nuggets capture their first NBA title and is highly in demand after declining his player option.
Brown would be a perfect fit on the Lakers and the franchise is reportedly increasingly confident they can pry him away from the Nuggets in free agency.
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