The LA Lakers are looking to make a splash this offseason with Carmelo Anthony on the free agent market and if he signs with the Knicks or Houston Rockets, names like Isaiah Thomas, Luol Deng, Chandler Parsons and Lance Stephenson are potential targets, especially now that Kyle Lowry is off the market and a Steve Nash trade for Klay Thompson with the Warriors is another possibility.
The trade for Thompson was part of the Kevin Love deal and was rumored about before the draft but nothing got done between the sides. The Lakers tried to spin things into a three team deal, but Minnesota held tight and now they may wait until the season to trade Love. According to ESPN.com, the Warriors and Wolves were talking a trade before the NBA draft and things got hung up on Thompson, as the organization was split on adding him to the trade. The Lakers tred to get into the mix with their top 10 pic, but no deal went down and now the Wolves have the ball in their court regarding Love and whether he will be traded or not.
Thomas is now the top point guard on the market after Lowry decided to stay in Toronto and he is coming off of a career best season in Sacramento and teams like the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Lakers, NY Knicks and Houston Rockets are potential landing spots for him this offseason. Thomas averaged over 20 points and six assists for a bad Kings team and he also shot over 40 perfect from the field. Thomas put up some great numbers last season and now he is also a traget for the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.
Thomas could be a perfect fit for the Lakers, as they need an upgrade from Nash at the point guard position and he could be a great teammate for Kobe Bryant to play off of coming back from his injury. The Miami Heat are also a fit for Thomas after the way Mario Chalmers played in the playoffs and with Lowry signed and off the market, Thomas is the next best option for LeBron and the Big 3. Thomas could step in for Chalmers and with Lowry off the market he has the chance to leverage his position and it's likely he won't be signing back with the Kings.
Deng was a target for Miami as well, but reports say that he is not willing to take less money to sign there so it's unlikely he will be joining LeBron James in South Beach. Deng is one of the top free agents on the market after being traded earlier in the season from the Bulls to the Cavaliers and now he could be in line for a nice deal. The Lakers could be an option if they don't sign Anthony, while the Knicks and Mavericks also could be in the mix for his services. If Anthony stays in NY, Deng also could go back to the Bulls after he was previously traded.
