The Los Angeles Lakers might have already set their sight on their next playmaker, as sources close to situation indicated the purple and gold franchise will make a hard push for the service of Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic, who will become an unrestricted free-agent next summer.
The Lakers recently won their back-to-back game of the season to improve their record to 3-9. However, many analysts still believed the Lakers will miss the postseason for the second straight year primarily because of lack of talents on their roster.
Veteran NBA insider Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported that the Lakers are already preparing for a big free-agency splash next summer, having the luxury to spend $35 million in cap room.
According to the insider, the Lakers will try to pursue all elite free-agents available on the market (Tyson Chandler, Rajon Rondo, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmie Butler and Reggie Jackson), but the franchise seems really interested in bringing in Dragic, the reigning Most Improved Player of the Year.
"The Lakers also figure to be a potential landing spot for Dragic, a source said - though, to be clear, the Lakers have only about $36 million committed next season with needs at just about every position, and thus are expected to pursue multiple big-name free agents," Deveney stated in his recent article.
Dragic is expected to become one of the hottest commodities in free-agency market next summer. The 27-year firebrand playmaker is averaging 15.3 points and 3.3 assists for the Suns, who are expected to be a major contender for the eight playoff spots in a very loaded Western Conference.
The Suns, who locked in Eric Bledsoe with a five-year, $70 million deal, have already expressed their intention in re-signing Dragic for a multi-year contract. However, several analysts believed Phoenix is going to have a hard time re-signing the Slovenian point guard because of the great amount of interest he will generate in the market, particularly from big-market teams and legit championship contenders.
Asian-American standout Jeremy Lin is currently the Lakers' their starting point guard, but everybody thinks it would be just like a one-year marriage with Lin also expected to hit the market at the end of the season.
