The Los Angeles Lakers have already been busy in the offseason as they have reportedly agreed on a trade to acquire Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the No. 28 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and Danny Green.
The move seemed to be a preemptive response to Rajon Rondo’s eventual departure as he has drawn interest from teams like the L.A. Clippers and Atlanta Hawks. Rondo performed admirably in the playoffs and his market value seems to be something the Lakers may not be willing to extend themselves for.
However, Rondo might not be the only guard who leaves Los Angeles as Avery Bradley could opt of his contract and become a free agent. Bradley started 44 games during the 2019-20 season, but did not make the trip to the Orlando bubble with the team due to concerns about his family and social justice issues.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, it appears Bradley will have several options to choose from once free agency officially kicks off:
Yahoo Sources: Potential free agent Avery Bradley to be courted by Golden State, Milwaukee and several contenders in attempt to lure him away from the Los Angeles Lakers.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 16, 2020
It is no surprise that teams like the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks are interested in Bradley as he showed how productive he can be on both ends when healthy. Though, since that surfaced, the Bucks made a flurry of moves that presumably takes them out of the running.
Bradley was a keystone of the Laker defense and set the tone for them on that side of the floor. He was also a decent outside shooter as he nailed a shade over 36% from distance on 3.5 attempts a game.
While Bradley has yet to formally decline his player option, it is probably a decent bet he will do so if there are this many teams interested in him. In sending Green to the Thunder as part of the Schroder deal, retaining Bradley should be a priority for the Lakers as their rotation of perimeter defenders would be thin without him.
Potential replacements for Bradley
If Bradley were to sign with another team, the Lakers would fortunately have a few options available to them.
Los Angeles has already been linked to Wesley Matthews and the chatter only grew after he opted out of his contract with the Bucks. L.A. could also chase after players like Alec Burks, Justin Holiday and Glenn Robinson III, among others.
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