It is growing more likely that the Los Angeles Lakers will look somewhat different next season.
Several of their key players are about to become free agents, and one of them — D’Angelo Russell — is starting to look like he’s on his way out. A recent Yahoo Sports article by Jake Fischer said the team is exploring sign-and-trade opportunities involving him, and of course, there is always the chance that could mean Kyrie Irving or Chris Paul would be coming to the Purple and Gold.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet will turn down the player option on his contract to become a free agent.
ESPN Sources: In the first major domino of free agency, Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Fred VanVleet has declined his $22.8 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent in July. pic.twitter.com/bVrve81XgZ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2023
Would VanVleet be a viable alternative target for the Lakers?
The case for
VanVleet is a steady point guard who has gradually become a very good player over the last few years. He made the All-Star team last season for the first time while averaging 20.3 points and 6.7 assists a game, and this season he was at 19.3 points and 7.2 assists per contest. He is also a reliable free-throw shooter who can get to the charity stripe and consistently makes well over 80% of his attempts there.
He seldom turns the ball over, as he has a career average of 1.7 turnovers a game, giving him an outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, he is a pesky defender who is always among the NBA’s leaders in steals and has gotten consideration for one of the All-Defensive teams over the last few years.
VanVleet also played on a world championship team in Toronto during the 2018-19 season, which is something LeBron James is sure to value. Speaking of James, the guard is represented by Klutch Sports Group, the agency seemingly attached at the hip to the four-time MVP.
The case against
The Lakers still need to improve their 3-point shooting, and VanVleet may not help with that. Although he shot over 36% from downtown in each of his previous six seasons and at least 39% twice, he dropped to 34.2% this season.
Overall, he has never been an efficient player. He shot 39.3% from the field this regular season and is at 40.2% for his career.
At six feet tall, VanVleet could also be a problem defensively for the Lakers. It’s easy to imagine teams hunting him on that end of the floor, not unlike what the Denver Nuggets did to Russell during the Western Conference finals.
