NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 targets for the Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 21: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans fight for position during a game on December 21, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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3. Khris Middleton, G/F (Player Option)

This might be a longshot considering the fact that, as mentioned in regards to Malcolm Brogdon, the Milwaukee Bucks are likely to do everything in their power to keep the core together around Giannis Antetokounmpo. That obviously includes an All-Star wing like Khris Middleton. Having said that, the Lakers should be looking to add a versatile wing like Middleton to the rotation as he’d be a great fit.

Though things will obviously look much different in Los Angeles for the 2019-20 season, one thing that plagued LeBron James and co. this past year was the lack of outside shooting and consistent wing defending. Middleton would immediately address those concerns and be able to do so at an extremely high level and with a bit of positional versatility.

For his career over his first seven NBA seasons, Middleton has hit on 38.8 percent of his 3-point attempts, which would be a welcome addition to the Lakers offense around a facilitator like James. Furthermore, Middleton also posted a career-high 3.6 Defensive Win Shares on the year, per Basketball-Reference, which was the 19th highest mark in the league regardless of position.

Again, this might be a bit of a longshot, but if Middleton chooses not to exercise his player option in Milwaukee and L.A. looks to make a run at him, they should be willing to open up their checkbooks for him. He’s a fantastic fit for the team they should ideally want to build around James and Davis.

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