Lakers Rumors: Latest News on Potential Moves

There are always a great deal of rumors involving the Los Angeles Lakers, but this season, fans are clamoring for the team to make some sort of trade in order to upgrade the roster.

Whether it is an upgrade at the point guard position, a potential move for Dwight Howard or some more depth in the second unit, the Lakers have been connected to a myriad of players in a short span of time.

Could the Lakers use improvements? Absolutely. No team is perfectly constructed, but Los Angeles doesn't have a lot of financial flexibility to swing a deal.

If the Lakers want to realistically compete for a championship this year, the team must find a way to improve the current production on the offensive end of the floor.

The Lakers currently have just three players averaging double-digit scoring.

That trend has to change.

Kenyon Martin

It's not a secret that the Lakers are looking to make some improvements to the roster, and bolstering the second unit could be very important as the team explores additional deals.

The Lakers are one of six teams pursuing Martin, but the veteran power forward might be leaning toward joining the other team in Los Angeles instead.

The club has deeper concerns at the point guard position than at power forward, but the addition of Martin could be the preface to a larger move for the team.

The major issue most are concerned about is if Pau Gasol were to be traded, it would slide Josh McRoberts into the starting lineup and thin out an already underwhelming bench mob.

Martin definitely wouldn't be any sort of huge addition, but if his signing allowed the Lakers to facilitate a larger move which would improve the roster, there is no question it could have a meaningful impact this season.

Rasheed Wallace

An interesting wrinkle in Rasheed Wallace's comeback attempt was dropped when it was revealed that Wallace contacted the Lakers a few weeks ago to gauge the team's interest in signing him.

The belief is that if the Lakers were to strike out on Martin, the team "could have an interest in adding" Wallace, but it's hard to imagine an aging player who was on the decline before he fell out of the league would add much value to the roster.

Although Josh McRoberts (3.1 points, 4.0 rebounds) and Troy Murphy (3.6 points, 3.7 rebounds) haven't exactly thrived in reserve roles, Wallace really struggled in his last go-around in the league with the Boston Celtics.

He shot just 28.3 percent from beyond the arc in 2009-10, so it's hard to believe Wallace would improve the Lakers' three-point shooting woes.

There are also very real concerns about his conditioning in a compacted season at 37 years old.

Gilbert Arenas

After the Orlando Magic used its amnesty clause on Gilbert Arenas and his massive contract, the point guard hasn't been able to land a job in the league to date.

There are some off-court concerns that come along with Arenas stemming from his days in Washington and his spat with Javaris Crittenton, but the major issue which has prevented him from a new deal is concern over his balky knees.

Continued lack of production from the point guard position had the Lakers expressing interest in Arenas, but it sounds more like casual conversation in the front office than the team chomping at the bit to potentially sign him.

Interestingly, Washington's Nick Young recently spoke on the Lakers' reported interest in his friend, and he gave an interesting update on Arenas' health.

Young revealed that Arenas "got that Kobe treatment on his knees," indicating that he received the same Orthokine therapy as Bryant.

Young also said that Arenas "feels great" and has "lost a lot of weight."

Mike Brown said although his team has inquired on Arenas, it was just to check in on his status.

Ramon Sessions

Perhaps the most realistic fit for the Lakers in the quest to upgrade at point guard is Cleveland's Ramon Sessions.

The Lakers and Cavaliers have had discussions centering around Sessions, but the Cavs won't just give him away as Los Angeles is not the only team with an interest.

The exhilarating rookie season from Kyrie Irving has rendered Sessions to a limited role in Cleveland, but the 25-year-old backup has proven to be productive in a starting role previously in his career.

He started 38 games for Cleveland during the 2010-11 season, and he averaged a very respectable 14.5 points and 6.0 assists in 31 minutes of playing time.

Sessions has a player option for next season at less than $5 million, so he could be a cost-effective solution on a team that pays out a gargantuan sum of money to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

In under 24 minutes of playing time this year, Sessions is still managing to average 9.7 points and 4.5 assists per game, and there is no doubt he'd be an improvement to the current construction of the roster.

Deron Williams

There is a lot of discussion about Deron Williams' future with the Nets, but could the Lakers be in his future?

His name reportedly comes up in Lakers circles "more often than anyone cares to admit," and he's got the Lakers on his short list of teams he'd like to play for if a future in Brooklyn doesn't work out.

The Lakers are already well over the soft cap for the 2012-13 season, so any trade for Williams would have to be built around one of the only two trade assets on the roster: Pau Gasol and/or Andrew Bynum.

If the Nets are unable to land Dwight Howard, a twin tower combination of Gasol and Brook Lopez wouldn't look too shabby to unveil in Brooklyn, but the Lakers might not have the complementary pieces in a trade the Nets may be looking for in any Williams deal.

Make no mistake—the first option for his current team is to keep Williams in the fold and sign him to a long-term extension.

Having said that, it wouldn't be surprising whatsoever to see the Lakers make a very strong push toward drastically improving the point guard position.

Dwight Howard

It's not a secret that most Lakers fans want Dwight Howard to be donning Los Angeles across his chest.

There is a split public opinion on whether or not Los Angeles should be willing to trade both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in a deal for Dwight Howard, but all indications from the front office have gone against that idea for quite some time.

Jim Buss is known to absolutely love Bynum (some even refer to him as Buss' "pet project"), and Buss completely dismissed the notion that his team would be willing to give up both of its big men in exchange for Howard.

It would be almost impossible for another team to beat an offer involving both Bynum and Gasol, but it's clear that the scenario isn't on the table and isn't likely to be at any point in the near future.

The Lakers have to find a way to bring in the next superstar to carry the team to the next era after Kobe Bryant's career ends, and the team will definitely explore all of its avenues in an attempt to acquire Howard.

Bryant has talked to Howard about possibly joining the Lakers.