The LA Lakers have a number of future free agent targets in Rajon Rondo, Greg Monroe, Ricky Rubio and LaMarcus Aldridge, but for now they are filling out their roster and they have added Jeremy Tyler, Keith Appling, Jabari Brown and Roscoe Smith to the mix for Kobe Bryant and some of those names could stick through training camp.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the team now has 13 players on guaranteed deals and they have added the names above to the training camp roster. Tyler is a player that could stick around, while Appling showed in college he could be a very strong player before dealing with some injuries. The team could find some diamonds in the rough among this group and it comes ahead of some big names in free agency next season and the Lakers are likely targeting Monroe and Rondo.
The Los Angeles Lakers missed out on big names in free agency this offseason and they considered signing restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe to a deal before claiming Carlos Boozer from the Bulls. While he would have been tough to sign like Greg Monroe since he is an RFA, it would have been a major addition for LA and Bledsoe could have been in line to be the point guard of the future over Steve Nash, but now he is staying in Phoenix.
According to ESPN.com, the Phoenix Suns and Bledsoe were far apart and the Lakers were one team with cap space that considered extending him an offer. The Suns said toward the beginning of the offseason that they would match any offer Bledsoe got and since they have a nice amount of cap space, teams think they will follow through on that offer. The report says that is one reason why Bledsoe only had initial interest from teams like the Lakers and Miami Heat, with Los Angeles opting to stick with Jeremy Lin and grabbing Carlos Boozer on an amnesty claim from the Chicago Bulls.
Now the two sides have come to an agreement on a five year deal. Bledsoe is coming off of a solid season for the Phoenix Suns and right now the team is putting together quite the backcourt, as they signed Isaiah Thomas this offseason and also drafted Tyler Ennis. The team has Goran Dragic as well as Archie Goodwin in the backcourt and adding Thomas makes the team much better and if they lose Bledsoe, they at least have a backup option to come in and take over for him.
The Suns were one of the most surprising teams in the league last season and they could be a wild card in the west especially if they bring back Bledsoe on a deal. Bledsoe wanted to get a max deal and the Suns are not looking to give him as much money, but right now the two sides are likely posturing and they could sign a short term deal now in the hopes of agreeing to an extension later on. Bledsoe doesn't have much leverage right now over the Suns, as the team has made it clear they want to match a deal and also the fact that his salary would have counted against the cap that signed Bledsoe to an offer sheet. The Suns and Bledsoe ended up agreeing on a five year deal worth $70 million.
