If you can’t beat em, poach their players.
The cash strapped Los Angeles Lakers apparently have their eyes on a number of Warriors role players scheduled to hit free agency on Thursday.
Otto Porter Jr. is the biggest name, and the Dubs free agent that most teams around the league are reportedly interested in. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Porter is one of a handful of players the Lakers would be willing to give their full taxpayer mid-level exception to, estimated at $6.5 million. Nicolas Batum, Gary Harris, T.J. Warren, Caleb Martin, Cody Martin and Danuel House are the others reportedly on that list.
That would be a significant bump in pay for Porter who was on a one-year, $2.3 million prove it deal with the Warriors last season, after being given a max contract earlier in his career with the Washington Wizards.
Porter was excellent in a bench role with Golden State and shot over 40 percent from 3 in the playoffs.
The Lakers also have their eye on two other Warriors free agents in Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nemanja Bjelica, according to Buha. Neither are likely to return to Golden State this summer, after the Warriors decided not to extend either qualifying offers earlier in the week.
The Lakers are reportedly interested in signing either to the partial mid-level exception or minimum contracts.