Los Angeles Lakers: 5 bargain targets during 2018 NBA free agency
4. Nemanja Bjelica, PF — Minnesota Timberwolves (restricted)
Maybe the cheapest of the players on this list, Nemanja Bjelica offers some upside as a stretch-4 off the bench. He may not have the talent to see consistent starts or pour in more than a handful of high-point performances in a single season, but he’s worth a bench spot and won’t cost much.
Last year, Bjelica brought in less than $4 million as part of a quality Timberwolves team. Although he collected starts toward the end of the regular season, he fell back to minimal minutes during the postseason as the players ahead of him on the depth chart got healthy. As Minnesota looks to improve, I wouldn’t be surprised if it simply decided to let him walk.
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If that happens, the Lakers would be wise to have a discussion with his agent. Bjelica would come at a discount, but offers intrigue off the bench. He connected on 41.5 percent of his 3-point shots in 2017-18, and contributed 4.1 rebounds per game as well. Belly may never be anything more than a floor-stretching big man, but he offers underrated value off the bench.
Especially with Julius Randle potentially leaving and Larry Nance Jr. now playing in Cleveland, adding more talent at power forward seems ideal. With Kyle Kuzma possibly stepping into the starting lineup full-time, the Lakers are going to need more options.
Bjelica won’t cost much, but offers considerable upside. On top of that, he upgrades the Lakers’ bench shooting, which will take a hit if Kuzma’s starting. Sounds like a reasonable option to join the Lake Show in July.