The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be doing their due diligence on multiple free agency options, early in the moratorium period. After losing out on Paul George, who re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder immediately, the team has been in talks with stars and role players alike.
According to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, the Lakers have scheduled a meeting with Houston Rockets center Clint Capela as one of those options.
Lakers, working multiple scenarios, will meet this afternoon with Rockets RFA Clint Capela, per league source.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 1, 2018
Capela averaged 13.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in a breakout fourth season in Houston. The big man was a crucial part of a Western Conference Finals team that took the Golden State Warriors to seven games while missing Chris Paul for the final two contests.
The Rockets are expected to be out of the LeBron James sweepstakes after the Cavaliers star opted out on Friday making it difficult for Houston to conjure up the requisite cap space to sign him. Houston has reportedly been focused on signing their own free agents, making it likely that they would match any offer for Capela who is a restricted free agent. The Rockets lost forward Trevor Ariza to the Suns on the first night of free agency.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are focused on convincing James to sign in Los Angeles with reports that they have turned to DeMarcus Cousins as a backup option for an All-Star teammate. The team is still in negotiations with the San Antonio Spurs on a potential trade for Kawhi Leonard but those talks have reportedly stalled.
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