Lakers Summer Shopping: Point guards

Last week, absolutely pathetic clickbait ... um, rumors began to circulate that the Lakers were considering trading last season’s number two pick, D’Angelo Russell, for another top-five pick in this year’s draft thanks to ESPN’s Chad Ford. Not even Magic Johnson’s Twitter account has tried to break that ridiculous of a “scoop.”

Unless the prize in return for Russell is the first pick in the draft so that the Lakers could snag both Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, the Lakers aren’t trading Russell for a pick in a draft anticipated to have substantially less talent at the top than last year’s. As I’ve written before, Russell is going to be a star, and memories of his failed career as a Nick Young/Iggy Azalea documentarian will fade with each 25-point game he racks up. Although Azalea’s Instagram post breaking up with Young may have ripped open the healing wound.

Regardless, Russell is the Lakers future. But he desperately needs a quality veteran backup both to aid his maturation process and to pick up the slack when Russell undoubtedly suffers through inconsistent performances in his sophomore year.

Although I’ve professed my love for Marcelo Huertas, which incidentally did not waver following the cutting of his flowing locks, he probably is not the correct fit for Luke Walton’s anticipated offense in light of his poor shooting from three. So, better take a look at the available point guards this offseason:

D.J. Augustin
Leandro Barbosa
Jerryd Bayless
Steve Blake
Aaron Brooks
Isaiah Canaan (Restricted)
Norris Cole
Mike Conley
Bryce Cotton (Restricted)
Seth Curry (Restricted)
Jordan Farmar
Raymond Felton
Jorge Gutierrez (Restricted)
Kirk Hinrich
Marcelo Huertas (Restricted)
Brandon Jennings
Shane Larkin (Player Option)
Ty Lawson
Jeremy Lin
Andre Miller
Pablo Prigioni
Ronnie Price
Brian Roberts
Rajon Rondo
Ramon Sessions
Ish Smith
Jason Terry
Greivis Vasquez
Deron Williams (Player Option)
Mo Williams (Player Option)

From the above list, here are my top targets, in order:

Jerryd Bayless
D.J. Augustin
Leandro Barbosa
Steve Blake

At 27 years old, Bayless has plenty left in the tank. More importantly, he shot a career-best 43.7% from behind the arc last season, which was actually better than his overall FG percentage.

Augustin similarly excelled from three last season with an accuracy of 40.5%. Yet, most of his success came in his 28 games with the Denver Nuggets, where, quite frankly, someone had to get stats.

Augustin may have been a great solution for the Chicago Bulls in the 2013-2014 season, but what stands out is his inability to stick with a team since then despite his performance there. In particular, the Thunder let him go even though the team’s only player, other than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who could get a shot was Dion Waiters. That red flag, coupled with his being listed at only six-feet tall, gives Bayless the edge.

Should the Lakers, instead, look for a friendly face for Walton, Barbosa could be a worthwhile gamble. Gamble because Barbosa is nearly 34 years old, and will be going into his 14th season in the league. He’s also had his fair share of injuries that have caused him to play in 70 or more games just four times.

Nevertheless, Barbosa gave the Warriors 15.9 minutes per 68 games played last season, and in those minutes, he shot 46.2% from the field and rarely turned the ball over. More importantly, Barbosa significantly upped his game in the playoffs, shooting 58% from the field, and just under 40% from three.

Speaking of familiar faces, the Lakers could dust off Blake’s resume. One of Kobe Bryant’s favorite teammates thanks to his competitive fire, Blake is the perfect anchor for a second-unit on a team that hasn't competed for years. Blake, however, is 36 years old and has not shot 40% or better from the field since 2012, coincidentally while he was with the Lakers, and shooting 42.1% from three. Blake isn’t going to fill up the stat sheet, but he will set the tone in the locker room and on the floor.