With Russell Westbrook apparently on his way to the Los Angeles Lakers, they need to fill out the roster with viable role players.
Reportedly, they could look into players such as forward Trevor Ariza, swingman Andre Iguodala and guard Goran Dragic.
“The Lakers need shooting,” wrote Broderick Turner, Andrew Greif and Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “One name that is coming up is Patty Mills. He can shoot the lights out and would be great off the bench. Wayne Ellington is another shooter who has interest in rejoining the Lakers. Trevor Ariza and Andre Iguodala are veteran wings who are candidates. Carmelo Anthony is interested, just waiting on a call from the Lakers when free agency opens Monday. Guess who might be back for a third time? Yup, Dwight Howard is ready to return and play center. Jeff Green and Goran Dragic also are names to look out for.”
Ariza once played for the Lakers years ago. In the late 2000s, he provided the squad with athleticism, defense, energy and timely shooting while helping them win the 2009 NBA championship.
More recently, Iguodala won multiple titles with the Golden State Warriors by providing similar benefits.
Dragic is a viable ball-handling guard who is a decent scorer, outside shooter and distributor.
However, the concern with all three is their age, as they are all in their mid-30s and have considerable mileage.
The Lakers are already somewhat long in the tooth. Westbrook will soon turn 33, while LeBron James is about five months away from his 37th birthday.
