5 big-name free agents Los Angeles Lakers must avoid in 2017
Andre Roberson, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder (Restricted)
Now I know Andre Roberson isn’t the biggest of names slated for free agency this offseason. However, much of the talk right now is about how much the defensive-minded wing is going to garner on the open market. That alone is why the Lakers need to avoid him.
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Right now, Los Angeles should be focused on finding cheap, quality contributors who can keep this team afloat while the rebuild continues. They need to avoid handing out more overpriced contracts that eat away at what little cap space they have left, especially if the team plans on signing Paul George next offseason
Signing Roberson would do exactly that. Despite how good he is on defense, I’m not convinced he’s worthy of the deal it would take to sign him away from the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s a limited option on offense, having shot a measly 24.5 percent from deep while averaging only 6.6 points per game in 2016-17.
The Lakers need more for their money, even if it would mean upping their game on defense. I’m all for the franchise focusing its attention on slowing opponents down in 2017-18, but dishing out massive deals for one-dimensional players isn’t the way to do it. Sign some underrated wings who are plus defenders and let another team overpay for Roberson.