NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Must Stay Away from Lethargic Raymond Felton

The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need a point guard, but they do not need Raymond Felton. This would have been a nice addition for the Lakers last year. When Felton was good at getting into the lane, a dependable outside shooter and a solid defender.  

But that was before the lockout. And that was before Felton hit the tailspin he is in right now. 

We'll have more on Felton's disintegration in a moment, but let's tackle the rumors first. 

The Rumors

Blazers' insider Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com shared the latest trade rumors:

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A league source has informed CSNNW.com that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers have had "exploratory talks" regarding Trail Blazers' guard Raymond Felton. 

According to the source, talks have been ongoing for weeks and it is likely to involve Lakers' guard Steve Blake in the deal. 

CSNNW.com has also been told that terms of this potential deal "haven't gotten off the ground" but it is one that is being considered by both sides. 

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It seems a little contradictory that it is mentioned that Steve Blake is likely to be part of the deal, but that terms "haven't gotten off the ground." 

However, it makes sense that the two would be involved. Whatever the case, the Lakers must avoid Felton, for the very reasons that the Blazers want to trade him. 

Why the Lakers Must Avoid Felton

Felton is averaging the fewest points and rebounds per game of his career. He also has his lowest field-goal percentage and three-point percentage of his career. 

This has cost him his starting job, and friction with his coach, Nate McMillan. Felton has wanted to blame McMillan for his erratic play. 

Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com expands on that:

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Felton is obviously a better player than he's shown here. He's capable of much, much more. But as a coach, how long can you wait? The Blazers are two games away from the halfway point of the season. It's likely Felton's playing time is going to do nothing but shrink. And amidst all the turmoil, he's going to have to figure out a way to put his game—and his confidence—back together. And step one of that would probably be to take ownership of his own failings and not throw them onto the coach's back.

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Jaynes is absolutely right. Felton didn't start to lose the confidence of his coach until his slump turned into the norm. 

Felton appeared to enter this lockout-shortened season out of shape, and he definitely was not ready to play at a peak level. 

That is not going to magically change because he is shipped to the Lakers. Los Angeles wouldn't be gaining anything in this deal, but another big ego tied to a broken player.