3 players the Lakers can target after waiving Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley

No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers free agent target: Dillon Brooks

For the laughs. But also, for basketball reasons.

Dillon Brooks infamously called LeBron James old and vocally, errrr, embraced the Lakers matchup in Memphis’ first-round series. The result was Los Angeles swiftly dousing the Grizzlies in bear spray and sending them home. Brooks was especially bad and the Grizzlies publicly leaked his impending departure days after the season ended.

Brooks isn’t doing too hot in the court of public opinion these days, but frankly he deserves more credit than he gets for playing actual winning basketball. The offense is a real mixed bag, but the Grizzlies — especially with last season’s slew of injuries — weren’t the best team to mitigate Brooks’ worst tendencies.

If the Lakers can empower Brooks to focus on spot-up 3s and quick decisions, his efficiency could skyrocket. The three-point numbers for Brooks haven’t been great, but he took 6.0 per game last season. The volume is there and LeBron can hit him right in his shooting pocket.

The Lakers, however, would sign Brooks for his defense. He made second-team All-Defense for a reason. There aren’t many better perimeter stoppers in the NBA. Brooks’ strength and anticipation skills on the perimeter make him an absolute menace at the point of attack. He fights with real passion and he could give the Lakers the kind of perimeter defensive presence that was conspicuously absent in the Denver series.