The Los Angeles Lakers have several rosters spots to fill and it looks like they are determined to get a veteran big man this NBA free agency. And one name that has been linked to the purple and gold is DeAndre Jordan, a veteran who seems bent on bringing his act back to the Western Conference next season.

Jordan previously played for the Los Angeles Clippers before signing up with the Dallas Mavericks. He ended up with the New York Knicks following that multiplayer trade that included Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley, and two future first round picks for Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee, NBA.com reported. Seeing how the Knicks were focusing more on developing young players to reshape the franchise, trading away 30-year-old center made sense. In fact, pundits were expecting him to be dealt as early as the NBA trade deadline last February.

Nothing transpired although the case is different this coming summer. Jordan is one of the big names that several teams will try to sign and it appears the Lakers will be one of them. Brian Windhorst said that Los Angeles is being linked to the 15th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft to add more muscle down low. He becomes the third player mentioned as being considered by the Lakers, the others being Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic which were covered in previous posts.

The Lakers targeting another (likely expensive) big man may not make sense at first. However, the fact that Anthony Davis feels more comfortable playing the power forward position hints that Frank Vogel may be shoring up the frontline in what could be a potential twin tower combo for the Lakers. Such could be a luxury for LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma who could gain confidence shooting from afar for the coming NBA season. However, the purple and gold could sacrifice some speed - assuming Davis and another big man are fielded in simultaneously. As of now, the only other big man on the Lakers lineup is Moritz Wagner, CBS Sports reported.

Compared to the interest on Vucevic, Lopez and Jordan are seen as more feasible acquisitions with the Lakers having only about $23.7 million in salary cap space. They have eight roster spots to fill out so eating up into that salary budget could result in luxury tax penalties. As things stand now, Rob Pelinka and company need to sit down and wisely spread the allocated budget and form a formidable team next NBA season.

DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan #6 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the second half of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, Jan. 4, 2019. Getty Images/Maddie Meyer
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