- Report: Kyrie Irving wants to shut down notion that he’s ‘angling’ to get to Lakers
- Gilbert Arenas says LeBron James will be behind Karl Malone if he goes to Dallas Mavericks
- Jaren Jackson Jr. calls LeBron James the ‘greatest player to play’ the game of basketball
- Report: Lakers have maintained that they have no interest in Kyrie Irving
- Report: Kyrie Irving has been recruiting LeBron James to Dallas Mavericks in hopes of forming Big 3 with Luka Doncic
- Magic Johnson explains how he led Lakers in same way Jimmy Butler currently leads Heat
- Rich Paul offers cryptic response when asked whether he expects LeBron James to return next season
- Report: Kentucky big man among promising draft prospects Lakers worked out on Friday
- Lakers insider speculates Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley won’t be back with Lakers
- Report: Lakers likely to keep No. 17 pick in 2023 NBA Draft
Report: Los Angeles Lakers Expected to Target 7 Role Players If They Can’t Land Max Player
- Updated: June 19, 2019
Despite already having All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to sign yet another NBA star to a max deal this offseason.
However, if they are unable to do so, the Lakers reportedly plan on targeting a slew of talented veterans to bring to L.A.
This list is certainly an interesting one, and shows that the Lakers have a plan to play to their two stars’ strengths on the court.
As previously reported, point guard Patrick Beverley has seemingly voiced interest in joining the Lakers.
Beyond Beverley, players like George Hill and Danny Green have both recently experienced deep playoff runs and have proven that they can perform when the pressure is on.
Green did that especially in the 2019 NBA Finals when he had a pivotal performance in Game 3 of the series, scoring 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
When it comes to the forwards on this list, former Lakers star Trevor Ariza would bring experience and a defensive toughness that the Lakers have lacked in recent seasons.
Nerlens Noel, on the other hand, would bring a youthful energy to the floor. While the former No. 6 overall pick has thus far had a disappointing NBA career, he showed flashes of his raw physical ability throughout the 2018-19 season.
It’s reports like this one that magnify the differences between the two directions that the Lakers may choose to go this summer. They could certainly look to build the newest superteam by adding a third All-Star talent such as Kemba Walker, Kawhi Leonard, or even Kyrie Irving.
They could also reject that model and instead choose to build an experienced and deep rotation that is spearheaded by two of the most talented players currently in the league.
Either way, it seems the Lakers are destined for great things this upcoming season. Whether or not that results in another banner hanging in the Staples Center rafters remains to be seen.