NBA Report: Finally LA Lakers sign Jonas Valanciunas and Jerami Grant for three years contract each…
Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have their coaching vacancy squared away, they can turn their full attention to the upcoming draft and filling out their roster.
The roster for rookie head coach JJ Redick will have to be a very good one in order for the Lakers to compete with the best of the best. LeBron James and Anthony Davis aren’t going anywhere barring a crazy change in developments but it will take more than them to make another deep playoff run.
The Lakers have plenty of options to go to this offseason. Two veterans on the team’s radar, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports are Jonas Valanciunas and Jerami Grant. The former is an unrestricted free agent while the latter is under contract for at least three more seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lakers considering additions of Jonas Valanciunas, Jerami Grant
Fischer writes the following: “There have since been several centers linked to the Lakers at No. 17 in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, most recently Baylor freshman Yves Missi as well as Indiana sophomore Ke’lel Ware. Pelicans center Jonas Valančiūnas, who’s approaching unrestricted free agency, has been another big man often mentioned by NBA figures as a potential Lakers frontcourt addition this summer.”
The Lakers adding Missi or Ware would give them an infusion of youth, size and athleticism. Adding Valanciunas, whose tenure in New Orleans appears to be over, would give them a different type of size. It would also be another instance of a Pelicans center heading to the Lakers.
The 32-year-old Valanciunas played in all 82 games last season but his numbers took a hit. He averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9 percent from the field. Having JV would give the Lakers a solid scoring option down low and a tough rebounder. But it would limit their ability to play with a lot of pace or space or defensive versatility. If Redick wants to instill a more methodical style of play, Valanciunas is a solid option to have.
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Fischer writes that Grant is “believed to be another potential addition on the Lakers’ wishlist.” Since the Blazers are rebuilding, it stands to reason that they would be willing to trade him away. The Lakers do have some contracts to couple together and trade, though they may not have enough intriguing young players or draft picks to make Portland want to give up Grant, a player the team values a lot.
Grant played just 54 games last season, averaging 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. He shot 40.2 percent from deep and can defend multiple positions, making him an intriguing player to put next to James as the other starting forward. Over the past few seasons, he became more of a shot creator, which means he could take some of the pressure off of James or Davis from time to time.
The Lakers don’t have any time to search through a bunch of options before finding the right mix of guys. They have a profound urgency to put a good team in place staring right at them.
