4 Free Agents Lakers Should Target This Offseason

3. Kelly Oubre

During the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff run, Kelly Oubre took over Buddy Hield's minutes. After a very solid regular season, the 28-year-old small forward put together his best playoff performances against the Knicks. In six games, he averaged 37.3 minutes and posted 13.2 points, 4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. During the regular season, he started in 52 games and played over 30 minutes per appearance.

And he did this on a one-year minimum contract. Despite averaging 20.3 points per game with the Charlotte Hornets in the 2022-23 season, Oubre shockingly didn't receive a lucrative deal last offseason. He had to sign for a minimum contract in Philadelphia which made the rest of the league regret their decision to ignore him.

Now, he is hitting the open market again and this time around, he will surely have more and better offers. The Los Angeles Lakers should be one of the teams to show interest in him. He plays a position of need, can somewhat guard multiple positions, and scores in a variety of ways. The Lakers could do much worse with their limited cap space than Oubre.

2. Caleb Martin

Another 28-year-old small forward the Los Angeles Lakers need to consider is Caleb Martin of the Miami Heat.

Martin is the latest developmental success story out of Miami. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Charlotte Hornets in 2019. After two mediocre seasons there, he signed a two-way deal with Miami. Over the past three seasons there, he has blossomed into a quality starter at small forward. Now, he is finally hitting the open market to get paid.

Martin burst onto the scene with the Heat in the 2023 Playoffs. As Miami pulled off an incredible run all the way to the Finals as an eight-seed, Martin was the third-best player behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In fact, when Butler was slowing down against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, it was Martin who took over and delivered wins for the Heat. He finished that postseason with averages of 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 52.9% shooting from the field and 42.3% shooting from three.

The North Carolina native is the prototypical modern NBA forward. He is slightly undersized at 6'5 but plays bigger than his size. He can defend multiple positions, shoot threes, and drive to the rim. He has very few weaknesses in his game.

That is the type of profile the Lakers need around their star duo. They should seriously consider him if they can afford him.