This Los Angeles Lakers free agency rumor makes a lot of sense. If the Lakers were able to sign this player, their defense would take a huge jump.
The Los Angeles Lakers are still trying to round out their roster for next season. The projected Lakers' starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and DeAndre Ayton looks formidable. They still, however, need to add some key role players if they are going to compete for an NBA championship in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.
The Lakers' free agency target list still has some intriguing names. Recently, Evan Sidery named the Lakers as one of the teams interested in an elite perimeter defender.
“Gary Payton II has generated recent free agent interest from the Bucks, Heat, Lakers, Suns, and also a potential return to the Warriors.
Payton is one of the best remaining on-ball defenders in free agency.”
The Lakers have plenty of competition to sign GP2. However, if they were able to add him as a bench weapon, it could prove huge in the playoffs.
Payton is one of the few remaining Lakers free agent targets who has championship experience and is still young. He definitely leaves a lot to be desired on the offensive end. However, his three-point shot has looked OK the last few seasons. His cutting and lob catching capabilities would also only be enhanced with Luka and LeBron on the court.
The main reason Los Angeles is pursuing a Lakers-GP2 signing is his defense. GP2 has shown over multiple seasons with the Warriors that he can be a lockdown defender on some of the league’s best players.
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If a Lakers-GP2 signing was to materialize, the Lakers would certainly be a step closer to an NBA championship.
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Category: Basketball
