Lakers linked to a former 20-ppg scorer

The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be going for one half of “Bobi and Tobi.”

Veteran NBA forward Tobias Harris of the Detroit Pistons will be an early free-agent target for the Lakers, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Friday. Siegel also notes that Peyton Watson and Tari Eason are targets for the Lakers as well but adds that both players are restricted free agents (meaning that their incumbent teams can match any offer sheet that the Lakers put forth).

Harris, 33, was originally a first-round pick in 2011 and is now in his 15th NBA season. He was a 20-point-per-game scorer in 2018-19 and hovered in that range for a few seasons after that as well.

This season, Harris has had a lower-usage role with the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons. Harris has still been efficient with his looks though, averaging 13.1 points per game on 46/35/87 shooting splits.

What also helps the Lakers’ cause is that Harris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. While it is unlikely that Harris would settle for the veteran’s minimum, he could still be had for a very reasonable price.

The 50-27 Lakers are expected to prioritize complementary cost-effective pieces this offseason to prop up their core duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. It may also be wise for the Lakers to start thinking about their summer plans now given the dreadful news that they just received this week.