The rebuilding efforts of the Los Angeles Lakers will be made through free agency. According to NBA trade rumors, Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors will be one of the franchise's targets.
However, franchise owner Joe Lacob is willing to spend money to keep its winning roster led by Stephen Curry, which is now close to winning the NBA playoffs.
What he did not take into account is the rise of Draymond Green, who at some point overshadowed Barnes' performance. Despite this though, a source that spoke to Sporting News is still convinced that the Golden State Warriors intend to keep Barnes.
"I think that all along that they were not going to let him go unless they fell down and didn't win it all. It might just be that they're trying to push down offers, but that's the message," the source said.
It is expected that Barnes will receive at least $20 million per season. Many teams are reportedly prepared to match this offer, including the Lakers, who are heavily turning to the NBA trade to build its lineup.
After losing Kobe Bryant, the Lakers have tons of team reconstruction to do. Barnes is certainly one of the free agents it plans to pursue aggressively despite the Warriors' intention of keeping him intact.
According to Bleacher Report, the performance of Barnes in the past two seasons (field-goal percentage of 47.4 percent and three-point percentage of 39.4) shows why the Lakers want to fight hard to acquire him.
The publication believes that Barnes will definitely strengthen the production with D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson, unless of course the Boston Celtics are unable to acquire the first two.
There are rumors that the Celtics are ready to give Lakers a pair of draft picks and three role players in order to get the duo.
On the other hand, the Lakers are also rumored to acquire Hassan Whiteside, one of the top free agents for this year, from Miami Heat. His development this season is reportedly what attracts L.A. the most about the center.
