Once thought to be in the hunt for Kevin Durant's services in the NBA's 2016 free-agency period, the Los Angeles Lakers might actually be rooting for Durant to go to the Golden State Warriors.
A Durant signing could mean the Warriors might have to decline matching any offer sheet for restricted free agent Harrison Barnes, whom the Lakers could then target.
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Barnes, Dallas Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons and Portland Trail Blazers small forward Nicolas Batum all are on the Lakers' radar for 2016, according to Lakers Nation.
"With Kobe Bryant retiring at the end of this season, the Lakers will need to find a replacement. In this upcoming free agency, there are limited options at the small forward position as there is a drop off in talent after Durant.
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"With the possibility of Parsons opting out of his contract with the Mavericks, Harrison Barnes (restricted free agent) and Nicolas Batum are two names the Lakers are expected to pursue as well."
Parsons will have a list of suitors for his services, according to ESPN. That, coupled with the Lakers' recent lack of success attracting big-name talent, could be the reason the team is identifying multiple free agents.
They also previously had been linked to Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith linked Durant to the Lakers, but recent reports indicate that Durant doesn't want to go to a rebuilding team.
The Lakers may have as much as $65 million in cap room and could entertain signing two free agents.
Even the addition of Golden State's Barnes alone, along with the possibility of keeping their first-round draft choice as long as it is one of the top three, Los Angeles at least would have a desirable nucleus with Barnes, Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr., from which to lure a top free agent in 2017.
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