Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz on Kevin Seraphin, Amar'e Stoudemire and More

The offseason couldn’t have started better for the Los Angeles Lakers. Drafting a tailor-made replacement for Kobe Bryant in D’Angelo Russell, what once seemed like an impossible situation was turning around quickly.

But as fast as the bright future appeared, it was snatched away again as the free-agency period started and player after player chose to go anywhere but the Staples Center.

Saturday, after missing out on LaMarcus Aldridge the day before, the Lakers saved some face by agreeing to a sign-and-trade with the Indiana Pacers for center Roy Hibbert, per ESPN's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne. He isn’t the superstar the franchise was hoping to pair with Russell, but it is a start on the path back to the top for the proud franchise.

Acquiring Hibbert, though, wasn’t the end of the offseason for Los Angeles, as a number of moves are still in the pipeline for the Lakers in their quest back to the land of the competitive. Here are some of the latest rumors surrounding the franchise.

Lakers have interest in Kevin Seraphin

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Just because the Lakers have fixed their troubles at starting center with the acquisition of Hibbert from Indiana, it doesn’t mean that the franchise should stop looking at talent in the middle of the paint.

Even in the face of the Warriors’ small-ball revolution, the center has its value, and adding depth at the position could be a big step forward for the Lakers.

He isn’t a world beater, but according to Marc Spears of Yahoo, the Lakers are pursuing free-agent big man Kevin Seraphin to help add depth behind Hibbert or Julius Randle at power forward:

A versatile player who can play either big man role, Seraphin averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in limited minutes with the Washington Wizards last season in a similar role to what he would have in Los Angeles.

Although the competition for his signature might be tough with so many teams in the Western Conference interested, acquiring Seraphin would be key in adding depth that the team lacked last season and would be a start in covering the wounds of missing out on the big-name free agents this season.

Atlanta in the race for Wesley Johnson

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Wesley Johnson’s selection by the Minnesota Timberwolves will go down as one of the modern busts of the NBA draft unless there is a miraculous turnaround in the next couple of years.

Despite not having lived up to his expectations as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Johnson has carved out a decent spot as a role player for the Lakers, and the team will be hoping to hold onto him through the free agency period.

But according to Shams Charania of RealGM, the Lakers might have some stiff competition for Johnson in the form of the Atlanta Hawks:

A starter for a good chunk of the season, holding onto Johnson in any role would be a good start for the Lakers, who need help on both sides of the ball and are looking to build around Russell for the future.

Having a player like Johnson, who put up 9.9 points per game last season, would be a boost to Russell, who will need as much help as he can get while he becomes acclimated to the playing style in the NBA.

Amar’e Stoudemire a possible addition to depth on bench

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Before injuries slowed his career progress in New York, Amar’e Stoudemire would have seemed like a perfect fit for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

As one of the most entertaining offensive players of the past decade, Stoudemire isn’t the same player he was in Phoenix or the early days of New York, but he still might get his chance to join the Lakers this offseason.

The superstar is garnering a lot of interest among Western Conference teams, including the Lakers, looking to bolster their benches with a player of Stoudemire’s caliber, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report:

During his time with the Mavericks last year, Stoudemire averaged 16.5 minutes per game but found a way to score 10.8 points and bring down 3.7 rebounds in such limited time.

With still a lot left in the tank, especially on offense, Stoudemire could provide vital minutes off the bench as a veteran for the Lakers and could be the offensive centerpiece of their second unit.

The perennial All-Star is likely long gone, but if the Lakers can get anything out of Stoudemire off the bench, it will be an improvement over what they had in 2014-15.