The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy this offseason and they have now added Jordan Clarkson and some other free agent targets could be Chris Douglas-Roberts or Jordan Crawford and this comes as LA previously considered trades for Greg Monroe and Eric Bledsoe separately and could come ahead of a potential Steve Nash trade this season for Kobe Bryant and Byron Scott.
Bryant is returning healthy after an injury plagued season, while Scott takes over a team that was terrible last year and needs to find their identity. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers signed Jordan Clarkson after drafting him in the second round this year and now they have another solid guard as well as some open roster spots. The report says the team may consider Michael Beasley after working him out, but right now no deal is close. The Lakers previously thought about a sign and trade with the Suns for Bledsoe, but they opted to sign Carlos Boozer instead.
Greg Monroe is also on the market and he is dealing with some back and forth between his agent and the Pistons, as he is looking to sign but they have not agreed on a deal yet. Monroe could end up signing the qualifying offer and that would make him a free agent next summer. The Lakers may consider going after him then and same for Bledsoe if he signs a one year deal as well.
Clarkson adds some more depth to the roster and down the line the team may try and move Steve Nash, as his contract is expiring and that could make it attractive to some teams this season. The Lakers now have 13 players and Clarkson comes in and likely will be behind Jeremy Lin and Nash in the rotation unless injuries come up. Clarkson was solid while at Missouri and he has shown that he is an athletic guard and he was considered to be a first round talent and he slipped into the second round.
The Lakers have done an excellent job of filling out their bench and they have signed a number of free agents, including many of their own like Nick Young and Wesley Johnson. The team also added Carlos Boozer after he was amnestied by the Bulls, while Jeremy Lin was acquired in a trade. The Lakers feel that Lin can be a solid option this year and then his contract is up next season and off the books.
The team signed back Nick Young and Ryan Kelly as well as Wesley Johnson and the team also kept Xavier Henry. The team is already more talented than last season and they have plenty of depth behind Kobe Bryant for Byron Scott. The team will not be great, but they have the chance to battle for a playoff spot and that could be enough for LA this season. Young returns after leading the team in scoring and Kelly earned another contract after signing as a second round pick. The Lakers were horrible last season and now they have the chance to bounce back with a new head coach and a healthy Kobe.
