The Los Angeles Lakers are quickly becoming an attractive destination for players set to hit NBA free agency next summer. Although the Lakers brass has swung and missed plenty of times over the last few years when it came to trying to draw big-name free agents to Los Angeles, next summer could be different.
Among the star players expected to hit the open market come July of next year is two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Curry will without a doubt be the most sought-after free agent after this season, but the consensus seems to be he won’t be going anywhere or even seriously consider any other teams in free agency.
Curry recently talked about his pending free agency and his thought process about the near future in an interview with Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal:
Curry himself will be a free agent next summer. Though Curry has been one of the most underpaid stars of the past few years and is due for a significant and deserved raise, it’s difficult to think of him leaving Golden State. Although he says “curveballs happen all the time,” it should relieve millions of people in the Bay Area that Curry feels that he is home. “It’s hard to see myself anywhere else,” he says.
With the Warriors currently firing on all cylinders and favored to win it all this season, Curry heading elsewhere in free agency seems highly unlikely. The star combination of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Curry is something we’ve never seen in the NBA and may never see again.
Although Curry admits he doesn’t envision leaving the team, he also keeps the door open with the knowledge that anything can happen in this league. It’ll be interesting to see if anything changes in the coming months and if a team like the Lakers actually has a chance to lure him in next summer.
As for other pending free agents, there are a few players the Lakers could show interest in come July. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul will likely be the next biggest names potentially available behind Curry with Serge Ibaka, Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, Andre Iguodala, and George Hill being some second-tier options.
