4. Jason Richardson- SG; Unrestricted
Jason Richardson is most famous for his dunks in various contests and his ability to change a game with his incredible leaping ability. However, he is more than just a high-flyer. Richardson can step back and knock down threes with ease and he fit well with the Magic last year because of that.
The Lakers were horrendous from beyond the arc last season, so they could definitely use Richardson’s precision this year. At some point in the season the Lakers will need players to knock down threes late in the game, so the best option in this class in J-Rich.
In this ten-year career, Richardson has averaged 18.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 5.1 rpg and .373% from the three-point line.
3. Jamal Crawford- SG; Unrestricted
Jamal Crawford has been a valuable piece off the bench for the Hawks and he won the 2010 Sixth Man of the Year thanks to his efforts. Crawford has helped the Hawks with various game winning shots and instant offensive production off the bench. If there is one player in the league who can help a team win a game in the matter of five minutes, it’s Crawford.
The Lakers’ bench did not live up to expectations last season, so adding Crawford would make perfect sense. Shannon Brown is likely headed out of Los Angeles, so making Crawford the back-up to Kobe Bryant would give the Lakers two potent guards.
2. Marc Gasol-C; Restricted
The young Memphis Grizzlies have a great nucleus, part of which includes Marc Gasol. Gasol, the younger brother of Pau Gasol, helped the Grizzlies in their Cinderella run in the playoffs last year and was a reliable scorer and defender for the team. His tandem with Zach Randolph presented many problems for the Spurs and Thunder, and they hope to continue their success this season.
However, it is very unlikely that the Lakers will give up Pau for Marc, considering they have done that already. Pau is still the more skilled of the two brothers and has already won over the Lakers’ front-office over the past three seasons. On top of that, it will take a lot of money and a lot of bargaining to make Gasol leave Memphis and to make the Grizzlies give up their young talent.
Although Tyson Chandler rarely led his team in scoring, his heart and hustle helped the Mavericks win the 2011 NBA championship. Chandler was the anchor of the Mavs’ defense and he thwarted LeBron James and Dwyane Wade from attacking the basket.
Last season in the playoffs, Chandler had an average of 8.0 points and pulled down 9.2 rebounds per game. His numbers may not have been flashy, but without his efforts the Mavericks would not have made it to the NBA Finals, let alone win the championship.