Los Angeles Lakers: Mid-tier free agents team could target in 2018

Avery Bradley, SG — Los Angeles Clippers (Unrestricted)

While Redick may be more of the sharpshooter, Avery Bradley is a better overall fit for this Lakers roster. Not only is he one of the NBA’s better 3-and-D shooting guards, but he won’t cost an arm and a leg and stays true to Luke Walton‘s focus on defense.

Seriously, imagine a backcourt of Lonzo Ball and Bradley. Not only are they two capable offensive sparkplugs, but both are dynamic defenders. They’d make life miserable for opposing backcourts, helping the Lakers to take another sizable step forward in one of the most underrated aspects of the game.

I mentioned Bradley as an offensive sparkplug, right? Well, as it so happens, he does a great job of putting the ball in the basket when called upon. This past season, he managed 12 games of 20 or more points. Caldwell-Pope had 13, but played in 28 more games overall.

Bradley would essentially be an upgraded version of Caldwell-Pope. He’s better on defense, boasts better career shooting figures from beyond the arc (36.6 percent vs. 34.5 percent) and can claim significant playoff experience. Bradley does tend to turn the ball over more than the Lakers’ one-year rental, but also had a higher usage rate (23.5 vs. 16.9) in 2017-18.

It seems unclear how much Bradley could command on the open market. While his status as a former First-Team All-Defensive player seems to suggest a hefty price tag, he’s another one of those overlooked guys. He made only $8.8 million last season, so I wouldn’t expect a huge raise with the way his 2017-18 campaign ended.

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If the Lakers are still prioritizing defensive improvement, Bradley is exactly what the doctor ordered. He can take over for KCP as the starting 2-guard, joining Ball to form one of the most feared backcourt duos in the league.