With so many Lakers rumors flying around, it can be hard to separate fantasy from reality - some news outlets are trying to make it seem like Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love, LeBron James and Space-Jam era Michael Jordan are all going to be wearing Purple & Gold next season. With so much speculation and misinformation out there, we're here to help you sift through the rumor mill and see what's really going down.
Carmelo Anthony
The Lakers weren't originally going to meet with Anthony, but that changed over the weekend when he scheduled a sit-down with Lakers brass. The Lakers will be the fourth team to make a presentation to Carmelo - his first stop when the free agency period opens on Tuesday is in Chicago with the Bulls, after which he'll head down to Texas to meet with the Mavs and Rockets. After that's done, he'll head back to LA (where he spends his summers) to sit down with Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers' management team.
No word yet on what the pitch is going to look like, but since Anthony will have already heard the best offers from Chicago, Dallas and Houston, it'll need to be very convincing.
Chandler Parsons
Parsons (a restricted free agent this summer) is on LA's radar, but they won't make a more for him (or any other non-marquee players) until LeBron, Carmelo and Kevin Love all know where they're playing next season. Right now, the Lakers want to maintain maximum financial flexibility...and that means waiting on second-tier free agents in the hopes of luring one of the bigger fish to town.
Other Second-Tier Targets
If the Lakers don't get what they want (at least 2/3 of the Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron trifecta), they'll move on to a list of secondary targets. A huge number of names have been floated in the media, but here are the serious candidates: Trevor Ariza, Channing Frye, Kyle Lowry & Greg Monroe.
Jordan Hill's Future
In a lost season for the Lakers, Jordan Hill flashed serious potential, and now the team is interested in bringing him back next year. LA faces competition from Houston and Dallas, but they desperately need front-court depth and Hill can definitely contribute. He averaged 9.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in just over 20 minutes a game last season, and he'd likely fill a similar role off the bench if the team beats out his other suitors and brings him back.
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