The LA Lakers have been active this summer in free agency and now the team has worked out a number of players in Toney Douglas, Dexter Pittman, Greg Stiemsma and Michael Beasley and the team could be closer to signing Beasley, as the free agent had a second workout with Los Angeles and that comes after the team hired Byron Scott to take over as head coach, traded for Jeremy Lin and signed Carlos Boozer to support Kobe Bryant as he comes back from injuries.
The Lakers also signed Jordan Clarkson after drafting him in the second round and now the team is getting closer to a full roster. The team signed back Ryan Kelly and Wesley Johnson along with Nick Young and that gives the Lakers a solid bench and deep roster to work with after what happened last season. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the team has worked out a number of players after Beasley and this comes as they have 13 players on the roster and are looking to fill out the bench.
USA Today writes that the team worked out Beasley, Dexter Pittman, Greg Stiemsma, Daniel Orton, Bobby Brown, Toney Douglas, Ben Hansbrough and Malcolm Lee and that could lead to signings for multiple players. That group of players isn't anything special, but they are perfect end of the bench and reserve players and they could give the Lakers some depth at a number of positions. The team wants some more at forward and they also have a number of guards and could use one more player as a late game option.
Beasley played with the Miami heat last season in a reserve role and was solid while he was on the floor, but he did not make much of an impact overall. Beasley has a high upside as a former number two pick and that could be a nice fit for the Lakers. According to ESPN.com, Beasley also has interest from other teams, but it's a good sign that he got a second workout from the Lakers.
Pro Basketball Talk reported on the Lakers being interested in an Eric Bledsoe deal, but that was earlier in the offseason before the team signed so many players. The Lakers were thinking about extending an offer sheet, but since they knew the Suns would match, the team opted to sign Carlos Boozer from the Bulls, as the offer would have counted on the salary cap. The team now has a number of free agent options to add and it comes after they traded for Jeremy Lin this offseason.
The Lakers had a very tough season in 2013-14 and they won just 27 games and now they are looking to bounce back with Byron Scott as head coach. The Lakers will not be a great team in the western conference, but they have the chance to be better than last season. Kobe being healthy is key and they have added back their own free agents in Ryan Kelly, Nick Young and Wesley Johnson. Swaggy P put up career best numbers and led the team in scoring and now he has the chance to play with Kobe and the Lakers should at least compete for a bottom playoff spot.
