Lakers Rumors: Free agent options to add depth at guard

SG. Tony Allen

Tony Allen would be a great fit for this young Los Angeles Lakers team; so long as they don’t sign him to an outlandish contract much like Mozgov and Luol Deng. On a young, inexperienced core, Allen would serve as a leader – helping the Lakers with their shoddy defense. Allen could serve as a member of the starting five or as the Lakers sixth man; either way is a win.

Whether or not Allen would start would all have to do with Luke Walton’s gameplan for Los Angeles. Walton effectively would have two options; he could either go with scoring in the first unit with Josh Hart or could go with defense in Tony Allen. Allen would likely be better suited as a starter for the Lakers, as LA does need scoring off of the bench.

This would slide Jordan Clarkson back to point guard, splitting time with Lonzo Ball. Heck, even if Ball impresses the Lakers front office signing Tony Allen could lead to a ripple effect, causing Clarkson to be dealt. At the tail end of his career, Allen proves to be the perfect short-term option for the Lakers before a potential superstar comes to LA.

With six All-Defensive Team inclusions (including 2017) it is evident that Allen is an elite defender at the NBA level. Averaging 1.6 steals per game, Allen was able to rip the ball away from the offense while forcing high contested shots. On a one or two-year deal, Allen seems to be a great fit for the Los Angeles Lakers.