Los Angeles Lakers Looking to Replace Ronnie Price?
By Pablo Jacobo
The Los Angeles Lakers are back to their losing ways. They’ve lost the last two games and are holding on to the fourth-worst record in the NBA. If they end up with one of the five worst records, they will not have to forfeit their draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.
This season the Lakers have been decimated by injuries. They have lost Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Julius Randle, Xavier Henry and most recently Ronnie Price. Moreover Nick Young has missed the last three games because of a swollen knee. The Lakers currently have three healthy guards in Jordan Clarkson, Jeremy Lin and Wayne Ellington.
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Eric Pincus of the L.A.Times reports, the Lakers will apply for a hardship exception which would allow the team to add a 16th player to the roster. They already have two disabled player exceptions of 4.9 million and 1.5 million which the team has not used. Both exceptions expire March 10.
The Lakers could scour the free agent pool to sign a player or they can look at their D-League Affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Three players that immediately jump out are Jabari Brown, Roscoe Smith and Vander Blue. Brown and Smith both were on the Lakers training camp roster.
the Lakers will apply for a hardship exception which would allow the team to add a 16th player to the roster
Brown (22) is currently the leading the D-League in scoring with 24.3 points. He’s shooting 45-percent from the field and 39-percent from behind the arc. If a scoring guard is what the Lakers are looking for, then Brown should be their pick. Brown played college ball alongside rookie Clarkson. They both were Missouri’s leading scorers. It would be cool to see the duo reunited in the back court for the purple and gold.
Blue (22) is my preferred choice because of his all-around play. He currently is averaging 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Blue is 6-foot-5 combo guard that brings a skillset that can be useful to Lakers. Blue can score, create and defend as he pick-pockets nearly two balls a game. Before arriving to the D-Fenders, he spent time on eight different teams in 2014. His shooting numbers have improved since arriving in L.A. He’s making 47-percent of his two-point field goals and 43-percent from three.
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Finally, Smith (23) is a 6-foot-9 stretch-four who is leading the D-League in double-doubles. He’s currently 12th in scoring with 19.2 points while shooting 55-percent from the field. He is third in the league with 11.7 rebounds per contest. A solid player that is versatile enough to play at small forward. His call-up is a stretch simply because the Lakers need guard help. They should still keep him in mind.
If they are granted the exception it’s unclear if they will use it to bring a player in. As I stated above, they had two exceptions at their disposal and decided against using them.
The Lakers would most likely offer any of the above players a ten day contract. If they decide against bringing in another player, they should at least keep these three players in mind for next season.