Los Angeles Lakers: Top free agent targets not named LeBron James, Paul George

Let’s imagine a world in which the Los Angeles Lakers miss on LeBron James or Paul George during 2018 NBA free agency. Which other players could they use that plethora of cap space on?

Pretty much since Magic Johnson took control of the Los Angeles Lakers, the plan has been to pursue LeBron James and Paul George during 2018 NBA free agency.

We came one small step closer to that plan becoming reality when the Lakers created the necessary cap space prior to the trade deadline. With enough financial flexibility to afford two max contracts, Los Angeles will be looking to turn their franchise’s long-term outlook around overnight when July arrives.

The problem is, there’s no guarantee that James or George will sign on the dotted line. There’s been a lot of speculation about both, with more tea leaf reading than is probably healthy. We have to imagine, though, that there’s a decent chance the Lakers only get one (or none) when free agency gets under way.

In that scenario, where do the Lakers go from there? They could choose to save that cap space for one of the top talents set to be available in 2019. Or they could look to some of the other hot names scheduled to hit the market this offseason.

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With that in mind, let’s take a gander at five free agents not named James or George who could/should be on the Lakers’ radar during 2018 NBA free agency. It’s anyone’s guess what will happen when that time comes, but I’m confident these names will at least warrant an extended look from the Lake Show.