Ss&r: Lakers Have Limited Free Agent Point Guard Options

Wrote up this list of the top-5 FA point guards the Lakers could target...it's slim pickings. Reader beware, it gets ugly.

While most eyes in Los Angeles are firmly fixed on the draft, what Mitch Kupchak does on Thursday will be just one piece to the puzzle that is the Los Angeles Lakers '15-16 roster. It's going to take a combination of the draft, trades, and free agent signings in order to put together the lineup that will grace the Staples Center floor next season.

The draft offers promise, and trades offer plenty of room for analysis, but the majority of the roster will likely come via free agency. The Lakers have a number of holes to fill, and the point guard position is certainly be one of them. There are two schools of thought on adding a point guard to the Lakers lineup:

A. Find a player who can backup rookie sensation Jordan Clarkson. Ideally this player wouldn't break the bank and would provide a steady, veteran presence for the second unit.

B. Find a starting-caliber point guard and slide Jordan Clarkson to the two spot. Clarkson did have success running alongside Jeremy Lin last season, and going this route has the added benefit of shifting Kobe Bryant to small forward, where his waning athleticism should be less of an issue.

With that being said, let's take a look at the top-five free agent point guards that the Lakers could chase after on July 1st.

5. Rajon Rondo
First, a disclaimer: the free agent point guard crop is ridiculously thin this summer, otherwise Rondo wouldn't come close to making this list. After getting booted from the Dallas Mavericks mid-playoffs Rondo's value is at an all-time low and he also has a history of clashing with coaches and teammates. Even worse, the talent that used to make his attitude tolerable is largely disappearing.

His reputation as a defensive stopper is no longer backed up by production on the court, while his shooting still can't be considered respectable. Teams sag off him on defense, daring him to hoist a jump shot, knowing that he is at his best when he gets into the lane and creates shots for others.

To make matters worse, Rondo in the Lakers starting lineup is just about the worst fit imaginable. A Rondo/Clarkson/Bryant/Randle/possibly Okafor lineup would offer very little spacing and allow teams to pack the paint night-in and night-out.

However, there is one scenario under which Rondo could be an asset: as a bench player backing up Clarkson. The Lakers tried giving Jeremy Lin the reigns to the second unit last season, but Lin was never assertive enough to truly take over. That wouldn't be a problem with Rondo.

The Lakers second unit is nearly tailor-made for a drive-and-kick guard, with a potential Rondo/Jabari Brown/Nick Young/Ryan Kelly/Tarik Black unit featuring plenty of spot-up shooters for Rondo to find. Black also provides an excellent pick-and-roll partner who can set solid screens and loves to finish lobs, which is a Rondo specialty.

Of course, convincing Rondo to move to the bench wouldn't be easy. The former All-Star is used to starting, and change is always difficult, even without the added complications of ego. However, doing so could help revitalize his career, especially if he signed a one-year, cheap deal in LA like Young and Ed Davis did and then was on his best behavior, but again it's incredibly unlikely that Rondo signs off on it.

In a perfect world Rondo rehabbing his image and reinventing his career as a backup like Vince Carter did could happen, but reality is that simply won't and as such the Lakers should pass on Kobe's breakfast buddy.

4. Mo Williams
Another player who would be a reserve behind Jordan Clarkson, Mo Williams is a veteran point guard who has bounced around the league a bit, playing for seven different teams over the course of his 11-year career. While he might not be the best defender out there his ability to get hot on offense and run a team would prove beneficial.

Williams can be streaky, but he's a good enough player that when he's firing he could play alongside Kobe and Clarkson during crunch time. It also doesn't hurt that he has picked up a few tricks in his time in the NBA, and would give the younger Lakers another person to pick up tips from.

For the team as a whole, Williams would be a solid locker room presence that could provide a non-Kobe veteran voice, filling the role that Carlos Boozer is likely vacating. Most likely Williams will look for a contender to latch on with (he's rumored to be angling for a return to Cleveland), but if the offers aren't there and Williams is still waiting in mid-July, the Lakers may be able to come along and scoop him up.

3. Patrick Beverly
Every team needs a grit and grind player. The kind of guy who is going to get under the skin of the opposition and isn't afraid to the do dirty work. Patrick Beverly is that guy, and he could be a solid fit alongside Clarkson in the starting lineup.

While offensively Beverly isn't the most skilled player out there, he can knock down threes at a somewhat respectable rate (35 percent), just good enough so that the defense can't completely ignore him. However, his primary value is his defense (he's essentially a 3-and-D point guard), and he would take on the responsibility of guarding the opposing team's best guard. Beverly would be particularly helpful if the Lakers front line ends up being Julius Randle and Jahlil Okafor. The young duo don't project to provide much rim protection, so Beverly's ability to stay in front of quick guards would be a major benefit.

Patrick Bevely also won't cost as much as some of the bigger names will, and should provide the Lakers with enough cap room left over to chase after a few other key free agents....

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To me, not just point guard but the crop this year is just not that palatable. The ones that can really make an impact are all restricted FA and aren't leaving their team.

I would love Mo Williams, but he's probably joining Lebron in Cleveland again.