A condensed NBA offseason schedule is on the verge of going full swing this week as the transaction window is set to open Monday morning, then the 2020 Draft will be held Wednesday and free agency begins two days later.
The Los Angeles Lakers have already gotten a bit of a jump start by reportedly agreeing to a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire Dennis Schroder. L.A. is sending Danny Green and the No. 28 pick in this year’s draft to Oklahoma City.
While trading for Schroder gives the Lakers insurance at point guard in the event Rajon Rondo is not re-signed, losing Green creates a different void. He was one of the team’s key wing defenders, and without Green the Lakers are thin at that position.
They could look to fill that by signing Wesley Matthews, who L.A. has interest in, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times:
More on how the Lakers' roster shapes up for their forthcoming title defense:
League sources say they have interest in trying to sign Wesley Matthews away from Milwaukee to replace Green
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 15, 2020
The first domino for the Lakers — or another team — possibly signing Matthews has already fallen as he is due to decline a $2.6 million player option for next season.
Matthews is a prototypical 3-and-D player who fits well with the Lakers roster. The 34-year-old has spent the bulk of his career in the Western Conference, spending five seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and four with the Dallas Mavericks.
Lakers reported interest in DeMar DeRozan
Prior to agreeing on a Schroder trade, the Lakers were said to have had interest in acquiring DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs. Green’s name also was linked to those talks, along with Kyle Kuzma.
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