NBA Free Agency: 3 Players Los Angeles Lakers could sign if they fail to land Kawhi Leonard
The Los Angeles Lakers have been among the NBA's quietest teams during the opening days of free agency due to their ongoing pursuit of Kawhi Leonard.
The Lakers are believed to be in a strong position to land the reigning Finals MVP, although if Leonard opts to remain in Toronto or head across Los Angeles to the Clippers, the Lakers will be scrambling to fill-out a depleted roster.
However, with more than $32 million available in salary-cap space, the Lakers will have a considerable war chest to tempt the best remaining free agents on the market.
A number of names have been linked with the Lakers over the past few days, and here we will look at the players that are most likely to head to Los Angeles if a move for Leonard fails.
#3 Jabari Parker
Just 12 months ago, Jabari Parker signed a huge two-year, $40 million deal with the Chicago Bulls. Parker was joining his hometown team and his career looked set to take off, but he was soon traded to the Washington Wizards where he failed to make a single start.
Unsurprisingly, the Wizards declined Parker's option for the 19-20 season, although, at 24, he still possesses plenty of talent.
During his five years in the NBA, Parker has averaged more than 15 points per game while shooting almost 50% from the field. The forward also managed to average 20.1 points per game back in the 16-17 season and remains a surprisingly good rebounder.
Needless to say, the Lakers won't want to spend a huge amount of cap-space on Parker, although the former Bucks man is likely to take a pay cut to rebuild his career on a contending team.