Lakers News: Top 5 Raptors Free Agent Fits For Los Angeles
Tonight's opponents, the Toronto Raptors, are loaded with talent. Several of their top rotation players will hit the free agent market this summer.
Your Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of their own free agents to deal with, but should they be casting a wandering eye, here are some of the most appetizing Raptors who could become available (many have player options for next year):
1. Fred VanVleet
The 2022 All-Star had been having a bit of a down year, until Jakob Poeltl showed up. It turns out that playing alongside a really solid traditionally-sized big man can work wonders for small point guards. FVV has already shown that he can play within a winning system, as he came off the bench for a 2019 title-winning Raptors team behind Kyle Lowry. He's more unselfish as a ball-handler than current starting Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell, though a bit undersized. He's seen as the better player, though a bit older, and LA would probably have to slightly overpay for his services were he to opt out of the final year of his current contract, set to pay him $21.3 million next season.
2. Gary Trent Jr.
The 24-year-old swingman is averaging 18 points on .436/.368/.839 shooting splits this year, and as a floor-spacing, volume-shooting wing should fetch a pretty penny were he to opt out of his $17.3 million deal for 2023-24 and hit the open market. Given that this year's free agent class projects to be a bit light on talent perimeter options, Trent would probably fetch some level of raise, probably in the range of $20-25 million a year. Would LA dish out that much when it has a comparable player, Malik Beasley, on its roster for less? Probably not, though Trent's playmaking ultimately puts him a cut above Beasley.
3. Jakob Poeltl
Talent-wise, I'd probably put Poeltl first or second on this list. FVV looked pretty inconsistent this season, until Poeltl was brought back on board for Los Angeles, and suddenly VanVleet came alive in pick-and-roll actions with the stellar, defense-first big man.
LA is relatively set in its frontcourt between starters Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt (the rotation is currently rounded out by center Mo Bamba, combo forward Rui Hachimura, and power forward/center Wenyen Gabriel), although I could see a universe where LA brings in Poeltl at the five, shifts Davis to power forward, and makes Vanderbilt an energy defender off the bench. Put simply, paying a big man big money (he would probably command an annual salary in the $15-20 million range) doesn't need to be the Lakers' priority this offseason -- unless, of course, it wants to move on from Davis and his injury-prone legs.
4. Will Barton
I've long advocated for Barton as a fit for LA: a great defender and solid three-point shooter on the wing who would help shore up the team's perimeter defense, its current biggest weakness (beyond health). He was the obvious steal of the buyout market this season. He could probably be had for a mid-level exception.
5. Otto Porter Jr.
The oft-injured big combo forward was a critical utility piece for the reigning champs, the 2022 Golden State Warriors. But sandwiched in between a relatively healthy 2021-22 season are the reasons he was available for the veteran's minimum last summer: he misses a ton of games. He had season-ending foot surgery two months ago, and has played in just eight games this year. Porter has a $6.2 million player option for the 2023-24 season, but given that the market has probably cooled on his services, odds are decent that he takes the money. Should he opt out and be willing to join LA for around that price, he could be worth a flyer.
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