Matthew Dellavedova: Dellavedova got a lot of credit for "shutting down" Curry through the first few games of the Finals. Never mind that Steph was recovering from a really obvious concussion against Houston that had a noticeable effect on his shooting performance. Delly's a pretty solid defender but he's a dirty player and he's probably looking for a fat contract after the publicity from the finals. Someone's gonna overpay him. Shouldn't be us. Verdict: No.
Kawhi Leonard: Kawhi is listed at guard for some reason. Seems like at least he should be listed at guard-forward. Anyway, Kawhi is a really great player and a great fit for any team. Worth a max? I don't personally think so. But if San Antonio lets him walk (they won't) and he's interested in the Lakers (he's probably not), we should snap him up. Leonard is the kind of wing you can plug in to virtually any system and he'll be successful. Hardcore defense and unselfish offense. These are buzzwords. Verdict: Yes.
Paul Pierce: Are you kidding? He's 37, presumably going to be overpaid, and one of the shining stars of our franchise's mortal enemy. That being said, it would be hilarious if he chased a ring all the way to LA, which is basically his home town (he's from Oakland but grew up in LA County). Still, he's not worth the money at this point. Verdict: No.
Rajon Rondo: Rondo is 29 going on retired. Who wants a guard who can't shoot, is forgetting how to pass, and has gotten significantly worse on the defensive end, which was his one redeeming characteristic? More importantly, with Kobe and Clarkson sharing minutes at the 2-guard spot, we really want to let Russell develop at PG. Verdict: No.
Dwyane Wade: Wade, on the other hand, is 33 going on 40, at least if you're a member of the media. He can't shoot for shit, he's barely passable on the defensive end, and again, we already have the 1 and the 2 locked down. Wade's not a guy we can build around, and he's not good enough to bring us to the Finals within the next couple years. (There's probably no one that good. Except LeBron, obviously.) Verdict: No.
Jimmy Butler: I actually like Butler's game a LOT. He's a little worse than Kawhi on defense, I'd say, but significantly better on offense as well. I'd be thrilled with Butler as my wing of the future. Verdict: Yes.
Danny Green: Green's one of those guys who gets so beloved by his fanbase that other people start to assume he's a really good player. He's not that good. But he's a competent 3-and-D guy, which is exactly what the Lakers want in their bench at this point. If he's willing to take a cheap-ish contract I'd be fine with him. Just not if we can get one of the really GOOD wings, like Leonard or Butler. Verdict: Yes.
LaMarcus Aldridge: The 29-year-old Aldridge has come into his own over the past few years as one of the best power forwards in the league. He's got good range, is a decent rebounder, and plays solid defense. He's a star-caliber player, but is aging (#BlazersCurse) and refuses to play center. This is kinda bad for the Lakers, whose center rotation currently consists of Mitch Kupchak, a broom in a suit jacket, and a spotlight cover cleverly designed to cast a shadow shaped like a person. We'd also like for Randle to get lots of time at 4, because he probably doesn't have the athleticism to play 3 and he certainly can't play center. That being said, if all else fails, you can't really say no to someone of Aldridge's talents. But I kinda want to. I'm gonna go watch some highlights to convince myself that I want him. [...] Ugh. He's good. Okay, fine. Verdict: Yes.
Luol Deng: Deng is exactly the kind of guy I would have wanted for this team if he was five years younger. As it is, he's aging, losing some of his defensive abilities, and overpaid. No thanks. Verdict: No.
Tim Duncan: As much as I want to laugh this off, it would be fucking hilarious if we signed a 39-year-old Duncan and went on a championship run. And watch him instantly become this passionate player the second he leaves San Antonio. It'll never in a happen in a thousand years, but if it did that would be the single funniest player transaction in NBA history. And the Spurs fans would be so mad. Verdict: No.
Draymond Green: You know what? I'm into it. Give me all the wings named Green you have. I'll take 'em. Verdict: Yes.
LeBron James: Okay, this one is almost definitely not happening, but it also seems like the kind of thing that's not totally outside the realm of possibility. Here's the logic (and a few crucial suppositions): Suppose LeBron is unhappy with his homecoming to Cleveland. Dan Gilbert made the moves but the team was ravaged by injuries, and LeBron is tired of having to carry the team. Even Love didn't contribute all that much, and LeBron is pretty sure Kyrie wouldn't have saved the day. LeBron's getting older. He doesn't have all that many more years in the league, and he doesn't want to waste them with bad ownership. But if he leaves Cleveland, he's instantly a villain once again, perhaps the greatest the league's ever seen. (Just kidding. No one beats the '89 Pistons.) And where do villains go to dominate the league without mercy? Not to mention the Lakers have the league's best GM in Mitch Kupchak (some of you just got the joke from a few paragraphs ago), an upcoming star in Russell, and other free agent prospects besides Bron. LeBron is pretty sure he can carry this team to a championship. And who better to do it with than his old friend/rival Apollo Creed Kobe? Verdict: Yes.
Kevin Love: This one is also probably not happening. And I'm not 100% sure I'd want it to. Love works best when he gets to 1) shoot from distance, and 2) crash the boards. He can't really do that on the Cavs, but then he can't really do it on the Lakers either. But if he wanted to come out, I'm sure we could find a way to use him. We'd just need to find the rarest of flowers, a rim-protecting center, to cover up his weak spots. Verdict: Yes.
Paul Millsap: Millsap played for a team called the Grambling Kittens, which makes me like him, and he's not overly expensive, which makes me like him more. He's definitely a consolation prize after Aldridge, Love, et al., but if he helps bring LA a championship I'll be happy. Verdict: Yes.
Josh Smith: Hey, remember when Josh Smith was a desirable player to have on your roster? Haha, me neither. Verdict: No.
Omer Asik: Remember when Asik got traded to Houston and he had that crazy breakout where he put up 20-rebound games all the time? Well, turns out he only averaged 11.7 RPG that season and only broke 20 rebounds twice. Memory is funny. What's not funny is that Asik has gotten pretty much worse across the board over the past three seasons. I'm not convinced he's capable of being an effective rip protector (he's 7'0 tall but his wingspan is only 7'2). Verdict: No.
Tyson Chandler: Chandler's still a good rebounder and rim protector. I don't want to pay him $15 million a year, but I wouldn't complain about having him on the roster. The one problem is his age, which is 32 and climbing rapidly (at 1 yr/yr). Verdict: No.
Marc Gasol: This dude just came out and said he has no interest in playing for the Lakers. Well... fine then, Marc. I guess you can take your offensive skillset and your defensive excellence and go to some other team. But I bet they don't have 16 championships. Verdict: Yes.
Roy Hibbert: I don't think Hibbert is or will ever be an elite center. But I'm desperate. Verdict: Yes.
DeAndre Jordan: This is the guy I REALLY want. Elite rebounder, great rim protector, very good at converting when close to the basket. By that I mean he converts 74% of his shots from 0-3 feet... and takes 92% of his shots from 0-3 feet. This is a guy who will spend literally all his time in the paint, either playing great defense (he led the league in Defensive Win Shares last year, and I legitimately don't have a better metric for defensive performance) or laying in easy shots. But maybe that's all the Lakers really need from their center. Verdict: Yes.
Greg Monroe: I spent some time researching this guy earlier today as I was trying to decide which big man I'd most want to have out of free agency. Monroe is definitely a ways down the list, but much like Millsap, he's a decent consolation prize. Verdict: Yes.
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