Lakers: Three Impending Atlanta Hawks Free Agents That Could Fit LA

Let's scout some future prospects!

Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers are striving to secure a birthday win for 38-year-old All-Star forward LeBron James on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. 

Whether or not LA can nab a victory tonight, it's pretty clear their roster surrounding the birthday boy could use some finessing over the 2023 offseason, assuming the team doesn't make any splashy trades before then.

Are there any intriguing Hawks free agents/free agent candidates that could be signed next summer, when the Lakers figure to have $34-35 million in available cap space? Let's take a gander:

3. Aaron Holiday

The Lakers don't exactly boast a murderer's row of quality point guards. Their best performer at the position, $47.1 million man Russell Westbrook, is a reserve because he can't shoot or effectively play off lead ball handler LeBron James. Brodie is set to be a free agent next year anyway and, even if the Lakers don't deal him before that, the team may look to field their roster with younger, cheaper options with some upside. UCLA alum Aaron Holiday, Jrue's youngest brother, at one point looked like a pretty darn promising prospect while with the Indiana Pacers. He has plateaued since then, and currently is a bench contributor for the Hawks. 

The six-footer could probably be had at or around the veteran's minimum next summer. This year, he is averaging a modest 5.0 points per game in 17.1 minutes, on .439/.438/.826 shooting splits. He's also chipping in 1.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 steals. Like Jrue, Aaron is perhaps a better defender than he is an offensive player, a skill LA desperately needs help with posthaste.

2. Justin Holiday

The eldest Holiday, a 6'6" journeyman wing, has in years past looked like a pretty darn solid role player on the perimeter for some competitive Indiana Pacers clubs. He has also suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Sacramento Kings. Heck, this isn't even his first stint as an Atlanta Hawk! 

This year, however, the 33-year-old has played his most limited role for a team since that 2015-16 season, averaging just 4.7 points on 38% shooting from the floor in 15.4 minutes a night. Just last year, Holiday was able to contribute more thoroughly on two lottery-bound teams in Indiana and Sacramento. He averaged 10.1 points with a .415/.378/.829 slash line across 74 games (65 starts) between the two franchises. LA could certainly use more help along the perimeter, and Justin, like Aaron, could be had for cheap!

1. Bogdan Bogdanovic 

He has an $18 million player option, and due to his recent injury history, may ultimately just take that final year of his deal, given that he'd be hard-pressed to make any more annually on the open market this summer. The counter to that is Bogdanovic may seek out long-term security in the form of one last big multi-year payday. He is still producing at a fairly solid clip off the bench for Atlanta, averaging 17.4 points on .439/.422/.800 shooting splits in 29.9 minutes, mostly off the bench, across his 12 healthy games. He's also chipping in 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.8 steals a night. 

The 6'6" swingman could theoretically start at either backcourt position for an LA team desperate for a reliable starting guard. Is he actually much better than 6'4" current Lakers starter Lonnie Walker IV? Perhaps, but he'd certainly represent a massive step up over current starting point guard Dennis Schröder or current 6'1" starting shooting guard Patrick Beverley.