Los Angeles Lakers: 4 restricted free agents team could target in 2018
Clint Capela, C, Houston Rockets
Personally, I’m a huge fan of Clint Capela. The young center isn’t seven feet tall and won’t kill you with his jumper, but he’s as feisty as they come and he wins with a relentless motor. We’ve seen a rapid ascension from him in the last year or two, which is why he’ll be such an appealing free agent.
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It also helps that the Lakers are likely to need a center next offseason. Brook Lopez is set to be a free agent, and probably won’t want to re-sign for what Los Angeles is willing to pay. Assuming that’s the case, there’s a good chance Magic and co. decide to see what’s available on the open market.
Capela would be a tremendous addition to this lineup. First and foremost, he’d bring a true rim protector to the roster. While Lopez is an excellent offensive threat at center, he doesn’t offer the defensive assets that someone like Capela does. Bringing the Rockets big man in to lock down the paint would do wonders for the Lakers’ shoddy defense.
Although Capela isn’t an overly exciting option on offense, he did average 12.8 points per game a season ago. He’s a ferocious dunker and creates second chances with his rebounding prowess.
More than likely, the Rockets aren’t going to let Capela get away next offseason. Even with what should be a very large 2018 cap figure, they’ll use his Bird Rights to keep the Switzerland native in Houston. Like Harris, though, the Lakers would have to be interested if he were available.