The Los Angeles Lakers are basically in a holding pattern for the time being until Carmelo Anthony makes his decision on where he wants to play next season.
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Whether or not he chooses the Lakers, the team will need to fill out the remainder of their roster this summer, and according to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears, one option could be unrestricted free agent Jordan Crawford:
Warriors free agent guard Jordan Crawford is receiving interest from Bulls, Mavs, Lakers, Knicks & Nets, the source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 9, 2014
Crawford spent most of last season with the Golden State Warriors, being traded there after starting the season with the Boston Celtics. With the team adding Shuan Livingston to their guard rotation, Crawford doesn’t quite fit there anymore.
The Lakers have already lost two of their top guards from last season as Jodie Meeks has agreed to a deal with the Detroit Pistons, and Jordan Farmar will join the rival Los Angeles Clippers. Crawford could help to ease the loss of them as he is an excellent scorer, especially off the bench.
Crawford is also an excellent option as he could come relatively cheap. If the Lakers are fortunate enough to sign Carmelo Anthony, they will not have much money left under the salary cap so players like Crawford would be perfect.
As is the case with most free agents the Lakers are targeting, there is a lot of competition as the Bulls and Mavericks are closer to championship contention at this time than the Lakers, which could be a major selling point.
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