NBA Free Agency Is Coming Fast... Are the Lakers Getting Squeezed Already?

Free agency is coming fast, and while the rumor mill is spinning on overdrive, the Lakers seem to be more on the periphery of things. 

Now that doesn't necessarily mean much, but it gets to some of the challenges they face. It's a big offseason for them, but the quality of unrestricted free agents isn't great. There are potential trades out there to be had (including some that have already been made) but the Lakers don't have a ton of assets they can use for such things. They have potential cap space to use, sure, but a lot of players of their own they need to retain, which would eat into that flexibility. 

So they have a lot of different ways to skin the proverbial cat, but probably will only be able to fully leverage one of them. The rest will have to come with some very clever and prudent maneuvering. 

So some of the names out there -- Jalen Duren, Walker Kessler, Cam Johnson, Mamu (not writing that out until we have to) -- are they good targets? What about John Collins? Could the Lakers let Rui Hachimura go, if they thought there was a better option? How hard will it be to keep Marcus Smart? 

Plus, there doesn't seem to be a lot of talk between LeBron and the Lakers. Does that make it more likely he goes? We explain. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

 

SEGMENT 1: What's going on in free agency? 

 

SEGMENT 2: Can the Lakers retain their own guys? Should they? 

SEGMENT 3: Cam Johnson and LeBron talk. 

 

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