NBA Free Agency 2020: 5 offseason targets for the Los Angeles Lakers

1. Serge Ibaka

Realistically, Serge Ibaka might be the best free agent on the market who would actually consider taking this kind of discount to play for a title contender. The problem is his incumbent team, the Toronto Raptors, may very well want to keep him after he helped them win a championship in 2018-19 and is coming off one of the better seasons of his career in 2019-20.

With that being said, he, Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet are all free agents. Kyle Lowry will be a free agent next summer. Now might be the time to leave for greener pastures, and if he entertains the idea of leaving, or if the Raptors aren’t fully committed to re-signing him, the Lakers should jump to the top of his list.

Last year, Ibaka averaged a career-best 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from 3-point range. His athleticism and shot-blocking have fallen off in recent years, but he’s still a stout and versatile defender, as well as a useful stretch-big on the offensive end.

The real beauty of this kind of addition, aside from his pick-and-pop usage, is that he could play either the 4 or the 5. If AD wants to continue to deny his true calling as a full-time center, Ibaka can log the majority of his minutes there. If the Lakers wanted to unleash small-ball with their secret weapon of Davis at the 5, Ibaka can seamlessly shift to the 4-spot.

That kind of two-way versatility and championship experience would be invaluable on a Lakers squad looking to retool for another title run. His market should extend beyond the MLE, but if Los Angeles can convince him to take a discount, this union would be highly beneficial for both parties.