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The Los Angeles Lakers are going to have plenty of stones to turn with $70 million in tokens to burn at the free agency arcade, and now they'll add Maurice Harkless to the list of players on their radar, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Lakers are linked to the elite wings of the 2016 free agency class in Nicolas Batum and Chandler Parsons, but Harkless would be a scoop into the depths of the group.
What makes Harkless an even bigger reach is his that he's a restricted free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers, though they could balk at paying him a large contract, especially if they wind up landing Parsons. Portland is set to meet with Parsons as soon as the free agency gates open, so that's one of the many possible scenarios that leads to a team signing him away.
The Lakers are clearly in the market for additional wing depth, and adding a veteran to play in front of -- or around should that be the case -- Brandon Ingram is one of the ways the front office can tweak the roster. Harkless is still young at 23, but has four years of NBA experience and has been a rotation player throughout that time.
Harkless could be an interesting young piece to integrate into the core they're building, but he wouldn't be a stabilizing presence in what projects to be an inexperienced rotation. .