The Los Angeles Lakers are 13-11 — one game out of the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, but also two games out of the No. 11 seed. Volatility is the name of the game in the West this year, and the Lakers can't afford to be "just okay" in a conference with the Thunder, Mavericks, Nuggets and whichever other team you want to put in the top tier.
So yes, moves have to be made; this roster is good, but not dynamic enough to compete with the NBA's elite. One move that might not change the balance of the NBA but would help shore up the Lakers backcourt? Signing Markelle Fultz, who the Lakers "Have had internal conversations about," according to ClutchPoints Lakers reporter Anthony Irwin.
Fultz, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, is not currently on an NBA roster after spending the past five years in Orlando, where he battled injuries but eventually turned into a productive NBA guard after a disastrous start in Philadelphia.
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What Markelle Fultz would bring to the Los Angeles Lakers
Guard depth has been a problem for LA this season. D'Angelo Russell has been mostly fine but can't be relied on every night to provide positive minutes. And in back of Russell, things get lean pretty fast. Dalton Knecht has been great as a rookie but is more of a shooting guard than a facilitator, and Gabe Vincent hasn't been able to find his footing at all as a Laker — he's averaging under 4 points per game and the shooting splits are even worse.
Fultz isn't a top-end scorer, but he developed into a pretty solid creator during his time with Orlando, posting over five assists per game in each of his full seasons there. Will he single-handedly turn the Lakers into a contender? No. But he would give the Lakers a pretty consistent bench point guard option, which Gabe Vincent hasn't been able to do. This would be a smart signing.
