NBA free agency is set to get underway on Monday afternoon and to no surprise, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of the more active teams, already being linked to a number of players.
The Lakers have already made their big splash by acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards, a deal that can’t formally become official until Aug 6.
With them giving up Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope though, the Lakers only have five players under contract and limited resources to work with to fill out the roster.
Considering the Lakers are title favorites after adding Westbrook, the expectation is a number of veterans will have interest in signing for the minimum to come chase a championship in L.A.
One potential option is Andre Iguodala, who had his option with the Miami Heat declined and is now a free agent. According to Jordan Schultz of ESPN, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors are expected to have interest in signing the 37-year-old:
League sources confirm the #Lakers and #Warriors are both interested in signing Andre Igoudala. Remember, Iggy – who was once represented by Rob Pelinka – said this two years ago on @HowardBeck pod: “Rob is my man. He’s always been good to me. My wife loves him.”
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 1, 2021
As Schultz alluded to, Pelinka is a former agent of Iguodala’s, so the Lakers may have a legit shot at signing him. The Warriors still have to be considered the favorites, however, as he won three championships there and has close relationships with their main core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
While Iguodala is nowhere near the player he used to be, he would still be a quality veteran for the Lakers to add to bring some leadership and defensive toughness on the wing.
It seems the Lakers have plenty of options to fill out the roster though so even if they don’t land Iguodala, they are still positioned well to fill out a championship-caliber roster.
Howard has interest in returning to L.A.
One other veteran player the Lakers are being linked to is Dwight Howard, who would be returning for a third time if he signs.
The Lakers’ center rotation was arguably its biggest weakness in 2020-21, so bringing Howard back to help stabilize that would make a lot of sense for both sides.
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