Report: Lakers target Bruce Brown will also meet with Knicks, Mavericks, Pacers, Rockets

The Lakers will get their chance to meet with Bruce Brown once free agency starts on Friday, but they won’t be alone in doing so. According to Ian Begley of SNYTV, the Lakers are among a number of teams expected to meet with Brown.

Among the teams also expected to get to sit down with Brown are the Mavericks and Pacers along with others.

The path for the Lakers signing Brown became much clearer in the days and hours leading up to Friday’s start of free agency. With the team waiving Mo Bamba and not picking up the team option on Malik Beasley’s contract, the Lakers opened up the use of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

With Brown’s market expected to be in that range, the team reportedly had growing confidence they would be able to sign Brown. That could still be the case with free agency an ever-changing landscape but it appears that, for now, they’re going to have some competition for Brown.

According to Dan Woike of the LA Times, Bronw’s market might actually be north of the mid-level exception which would price the Lakers out of the competition for him.

A breakout playoff run and, particularly, Finals performance from Brown set him up for a big payday in free agency this summer. Included in that was Brown helping the Nuggets sweep the Lakers as he scored in double figures in three of the four games and shot 52.8% from the field in the series.

It doesn’t figure to be a particularly quick decision from Brown, though, if he’s meeting with four teams in free agency. Those meetings may not be long and he may not take all of them but it doesn’t look like Brown will be making a decision at 3:01 Pacific when free agency starts.

But the Lakers are in the door and in the mix for a free agent that could be game-changing for them.

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