By George Efkarpides / efkarpides@eurohoops.net
With the Golden State Warriors adding their fifth all-star in the offseason, the summer of 2018-2019 could potentially be extremely interesting in regards to free-agency in “La-la land”
After moving to L.A. to play for the Lakers, James will be in “unfamiliar territory” as he will not have an active all-star teammate and given the difficulty of making the all-star team in the West, it’s more than likely that he will be the only participant from his team.
Next summer, a plethora of all-star players are expected to be free agents. Eurohoops has put together a list of potential “partners in crime” for James and one of them comes from Spain.
1.Kawhi Leonard (player option)
Stats: 16.2 points, 4.7 assists
The Raptors will do everything in their power to keep Leonard and bringing his friend, assistant coach Jeremy Castleberry on board may be a good start but as of now, it seems unlikely that Leonard stays in Toronto.
Leonard was a prime target for Magic Johnson and the Lakers and given his willingness to play in Hollywood, he is among the favorites to pair up with James next summer.
“The Claw” was considered a top-3 player prior to his quad injury and a potential pairing with James will be very scary for the rest of the league.
2. Jimmy Butler (player option)
Stats: 22.2 points, 4.9 rebounds
Butler was quick to reject a four-year $100 million-dollar extension from the Timberwolves and the reports about his “displeasure” with the franchise have been flourishing all summer long.
Butler was rumored to join the Lakers even before he signed a five-year, $95 million-dollar deal with the Bulls in 2015.
Surely, his good friend Mark Wahlberg wants him in L.A. and James would love Jimmy as his teammate especially if the Lakers fail to sign Kawhi Leonard.
3. Kemba Walker (Unrestricted)
Stats: 18.6 points, 7.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds
Michael Jordan refused to trade his franchise player before last year’s trade deadline and it appears that Walker is emotianlly attached to the Hornets at the moment having played his entire professional career for one franchise.
If the Lakers decide to give up on “the Ball project” then Kemba will surely be on Rob Pelinka’s shortlist.
The New York Knicks are also rumored to be atop of the list in Walker’s potential suitors and for the moment it seems unlikely that he’s headed to California for the Lakers.
4. DeAndre Jordan (Unrestricted)
Stats: 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists
Jordan was really close to signing with the Mavericks in the summer of 2015 but Chris Paul and Blake Griffin literally convinced him to stay the last second.
Now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, the 30-year-old Texan will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer and his pairing with LeBron James was something that was discussed during the trade deadline last season.
His ability to protect the rim and rebound at a high rate may be something the Lakers are missing given their lack of depth at the center spot.