The Los Angeles Lakers needed to trade Russell Westbrook to clear their salary cap and get more role players around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That hasn't happened, but they've still made some moves.
However, you need to do everything you can to thrive in the stacked Western Conference. And as much as Rob Pelinka has tried, the Lakers aren't that much of a better team right now than they were last season.
With that in mind, the purple and gold should still be on the phone trying to lure a player or two to round up their roster. Here, we'll discuss the three players the Lakers should pursue before training camp.
NBA Rumors: 3 Best Free Agent Fits For The Los Angeles Lakers.
3. Rodney Hood
The Lakers desperately need shooters. They crave guys who can score from all three levels and don't need to get that many shots to be at their best, so maybe this version of Rodney Hood fits that mold.
Hood isn't much of a defender or a passer, but he sure can shoot the rock. Injuries derailed his career, but he still has the potential to provide some much-needed spacing and three-point shooting.
2. Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony was arguably the Lakers' lone bright spot off the bench last season. He got hot often and used his never-ending bag of moves to get his shots off and score when the team needed him the most.
He's no longer the 25+ PPG scorer he used to be. He's lost a step, and we know he doesn't play defense. But Melo can still give you 20+ solid minutes off the bench, and he's the kind of shooter you want out there when the game is on the line.
1. Dennis Schroder
Kendrick Nunn's health is a huge question mark, and some believe there's no way Russell Westbrook will finish the season with the team. So, they should bring in Dennis Schroder even if there's a logjam at that position.
Schroder is an explosive scorer and has looked great recently in Eurobasket. He can create for others and has improved as a shooter, not to mention he can push up the tempo and has already thrived next to LeBron.
