Official 2016 Free Agency Thread

The last part of that was perfect too: "I don't know why you wouldn't want to join this team." That quiet confidence instead of proud disdain. He's going to blow FAs away in our pitches.

 

...we do have a young core with some promise that will need leading. Walton spoke of adding one All-Star player to do that. Who that will be remains to be seen.

 

I think Dlo needs the ball.

 

Leaning hard toward SG.

Here are some guard options:

DeMar Derozan +1
Scoring: 6.36, 6.24, 6.62
Passing: 2.99, 2.93, 3.09
Hustle: 2.15, 2.24, 2.24
Efficiency: 75, 73, 81

DeRozan is not a 3-and-D player. He is an adequate defender, but he does not shoot the three well. He is a pure Shooting Guard, who scores the ball incredibly efficiently, despite not having the three ball. In his age 26 season, he put up numbers (23.5, 4.0, 4.5) remarkably similar to what Kobe did in his age 26 season (24.4, 5.3, 5.2). He is assuredly if not still ascending at least working in the groove of his prime years. He is a legitimate first scoring option, and he is a legitimate candidate for a max contract.

Courtney Lee -4
Scoring: 5.42, 5.09, 5.06
Passing: 2.31, 2.42, 2.31
Hustle: 2.31, 2.01, 2.30
Efficiency: 49, 49, 50

Lee is going to frustrate you if you are looking for a big scorer. He’s a low involvement player offensively, mostly a knockdown shooter. But he plays tough defense, he doesn’t need the ball to get things done. I do not see Lee as a max player, but he could command something in the neighborhood of $15M a season comfortably.

Gerald Henderson -5
Scoring: 5.65, 5.54, 5.64
Passing: 2.68, 2.80, 2.18
Hustle: 2.01, 2.04, 2.26
Efficiency: 60, 59, 56

Entering his age 29 season, Henderson is likely still in his prime. He is coming off a season that saw him relegated to less ball handling, so his passing rating slipped, drawing down his overall rating. Like Lee, he’s a solid defender, and he’s a strong, imposing body at the SG position. He stroked the three well, a sign that his is developing that shot as he matures. He isn’t a bad fit, but I wouldn’t go as high as Lee money for Henderson. I’d pay in the neighborhood of $12-13.5M a season for his services.

E'Twuan Moore -12
Scoring: 5.04, 4.81, 5.18
Passing: 2.59, 2.45, 2.65
Hustle: 2.40, 2.51, 2.23
Efficiency: 52. 48, 54

Moore is an intriguing FA because he’s younger than the others, he hasn’t logged a ton of starts, but he offers much of what the others offer, at least offensively. He became an otherworldly three point shooter last season. That, coupled with his statistically impressive defense, makes him a good possibility for maximizing talent from a lesser contract. He will be 27 years old, and he can play the 1 or the 2. Moore is definitely someone the Lakers should be looking at. He could be an improvement over any of the backups, and he isn’t a bad insert for Clarkson when the team needs more defense.

 

Point Guard Options

Brian Roberts -9
Scoring: 5.49, 5.19, 5.68
Passing: 2.68, 2.70, 2.77
Hustle: 1.85, 1.85, 1.82
Efficiency: 54, 52, 58

Roberts is entering his age 31 season off a season in which he started no games for the first time in his career. Still, he might have found his true calling as a backup PG. He had his overall best shooting season at .448-.357-.894. He doesn’t do a great deal on defense, but he shoots well and can provide valuable spacing on offense. He is probably an upgrade from Huertas on defense, too. I wouldn’t pay him more than a couple million a season, and, in fact, he might not even be worth that. There are not a lot of good, pure backup PGs available this offseason.

*Tim Frazier -14
Scoring: 4.36, 5.19
Passing: 4.30, 4.09
Hustle: 2.15, 2.55
Efficiency: 71, 79

Frazier is going to be 26, and he has already been with three teams in two seasons. He doesn’t have a great shot from outside (career 32.3%). He is, however, something of a floor general. Frazier has averaged 8.2 assists per 36 over 980 career minutes. And in 16 games (very limited size) with New Orleans, he lit it up: 13.1 points, 7.5 assists (3:1 ast/to ratio), 4.4 rebounds, and 45% on FGs, 46% on threes, and 76% on FTs. He even defended well enough. He would be a risk, but a guy who finished the season with 13.4 points, 9.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and a .417-.409-.733 shooting split at age 25 is worth a look as a backup. Frazier hasn’t made much money in the NBA, so an offer just above Vet Min might be enough to lock him up.