Los Angeles Clippers power forward Josh Smith (R) boxes out Denver Nuggets' JJ Hickson during a rebound battle. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers, with all the crazy signings this offseason, are surprisingly still $6 million under the salary cap, according to Basketball Insiders writer Cody Taylor.
After inking Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng to brow-raising deals and locking up Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black and the rookies, the Lakers are down to filling in the remaining two spots on their roster.
Other than their draft picks (Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac), there are several players on that Summer League team who deserve to have an NBA contract.
But knowing the fact that there are few solid veterans available on the free-agency pool, it would be interesting how the Lakers front-office will wrap up the official roster for the 2016-17 NBA season.
While the big names are already off the table, there's still a lot of quality on the free-agency market. J.R Smith is probably the biggest fish left in the pool, but he's likely bound to a team that can pay him at least $10 million per season, should his negotiation with the Cleveland Cavaliers collapses.
Fortunately for the Lakers, there are still few players out there who can be bought on a bargain price.
Josh Smith:
Ever since signing that four-year, $54 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, Smith's career went spiraling down. He was considered an up-and-coming star during nine seasons with the Hawks. Unfortunately, his career took a nose dive after the Pistons waived in the middle of his second year with the team.
Smith, who split last season with the Clippers and the Rockets, averaged 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds over 14 minutes per game. Although he has established a reputation as a do-it-all player, his tendency to jack up ill-advised jump shots and poor decision making has significantly diluted his value in the market.
Lance Stephenson:
Like Smith, Stephenson is a player who seemed destined for greatness but pulled back to earth by his attitude and flaws in his game.
After earning a three-year, $27 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets following a career year with the Indiana Pacers, Stephenson's career also went downhill because of injuries and poor shooting.
Stephenson averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first and only season in Charlotte before he got traded to the Clippers. The struggle continued in Los Angeles until he was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he averaged 14.2 points over 26 games.
Related News: NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers won't mind losing D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle for DeMarcus Cousins
Larry Sanders:
Sanders was a fast-rising center in Milwaukee before he decided to leave the game to pursue a career in other fields. But after a year and half of hiatus, Sanders declared that he's planning to make an NBA comeback.
Before his semi-retirement, Sanders averaged 6.5 points, 5.8 points and 1.8 blocks per game. Outside Dwight Howard, Sanders changed the most number of shot attempts during the 2013-14 season, making one of the finest rim protector in the NBA that time.
Smith, Stephenson and Sanders should be all classified on the same page. They are all talented players looking for another shot at redeeming their career.
The Lakers, with $6 million left to spend, could make it a low-risk, high-reward move by signing him to a one-year, minimum contract deal. Because in the way, the franchise can avoid committing to a bad deal, and at the same time, squeeze up the full potential of the player.
