The LA Lakers are looking to complete their roster and while Eric Bledsoe would be a dream free agent option, the team has targets in Michael Beasley, Jordan Crawford. Chris Singleton, Ramon Sessions and Shawn Marion as names that can help Kobe Bryant and now Byron Scott and the team also could consider a Steve Nash trade, as Los Angeles now has Jeremy Lin after a trade with the Houston Rockets this summer.
The Lakers are coming into the season after missing the playoffs and being just terrible last year and now Byron Scott takes over looking to improve things in all aspects of the game. According to ESPN.com and Pro Basketball Talk, the team is not using the stretch provision on Steve Nash and his contract on the cap, meaning his entire salary will be a hit this year instead of spreading it over the next two. The Lakers have also reportedly worked out Michael Beasley and according to ESPN.com, the team could sign him this coming week.
The Lakers have done a solid job this offseason of retaining their free agents and the team has also added Ed David on a short contract and that adds some depth up front. The team drafted Julius Randle with their first round pick this season and he looks like he could be a very productive first year player. Many thought that Randle would be a top three pick, but he dropped behind the highly touted group of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid and that played into the Lakers hands and now they have a top three talent beyond the top five.
According to ESPN.com, Beasley looked good in his workout for the Lakers and while he had some rust on him from the summer, the team was impressed with how he looked. Beasley was with the Miami Heat last season and averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds, but that was in just 15 minutes per game. Beasley could be in a similar spot like Carlos Boozer, as in his production and value could be radically different by being on the Lakers and he could find some minutes off the bench and could be a solid contributor as an outside shooter.
Shawn Marion is an option that is on the market and Jordan Crawford was also mentioned as a potential target for the Lakers this offseason. Eric Bledsoe would be a dream option and while Pro Basketball talk reported that the team was thinking about a potential sign and trade deal for him, it never got far enough to be offered. The Lakers would not have been able to sign Carlos Boozer and some of their other players if they offered Bledsoe an offer sheet, as that would have been tied to the salary cap for that time and the Suns were expected to match.
A Nash trade could come later in the season since his deal will be easier to trade since it's expiring, but if he can stay healthy he could be a valuable option as a reserve player behind Lin. The team also kept Ryan Kelly and Xavier Henry along with Nick Young, who led the team in scoring last season. Wes Johnson is also back and that gives the team plenty of depth and bench options this season. The team has 12 players under contract already and are looking at adding more before August is up.
