While the free agency craze is now mostly over, the Los Angeles Lakers still have an open roster spot. They don't technically have to fill that spot, but considering their lack of frontcourt depth, it would be advisable to add a veteran on a minimum contract.
Fortunately for them, a former teammate of LeBron James is basically begging them to sign him. Kevin Love, who was just traded by the Miami Heat to the Utah Jazz this summer, is expected to be bought out. When that happens, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel expects him to end up in Los Angeles.
Kevin Love Reportedly Wants to Be in LA to End Career
This is understandable since Love was born in Santa Monica and went to school at UCLA. Siegel doesn't specify between the Lakers and the Clippers in his reporting. However, Love and James have a friendship going way back to their Cleveland Cavaliers days, as two stars played together for four seasons and won a championship, making the Lakers a natural frontrunner.
"Word around the league surrounding Love is that he wants to end up in Los Angeles, sources said. There were some rumors that Love would want to go to New York, although there doesn't seem to be much interest brewing from the Knicks."Brett Siegel, ClutchPoints
The complicating factor in this acquisition is the fact that the Lakers are hard-capped at the first apron. This prevents them from signing a veteran to a minimum contract without making other moves.
At the same time, this shouldn't be too hard for a team like the Lakers, which has plenty of bad contracts on its books. They could move on from Dalton Knecht or Maxi Kleber to create enough room to sign Love.
At this stage of his career, Love can't be expected to play extended minutes. He is a defensive liability and doesn't provide much else outside of shooting and rebounding. Yet, the Lakers could desperately need both of those skill sets as they don't have a reliable stretch big. That would make Love a decent emergency backup and a solid locker room presence for the Lakers.
Whether the Lakers end up pursuing Love will likely depend on the level of interest LeBron James will have in reuniting with his former teammate. James has thrived playing next to floor-spacing bigs in his career, and if he wants to have a center with that skill set on the roster, he could very well push GM Rob Pelinka to sign Love.