Lakers Trade Rumors: Acquiring Raymond Felton Is Portland's Loss, L.A.'s Gain
According to SI.com, the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers have had discussions concerning disgruntled point guard Raymond Felton, and of all the rumors surrounding the Lakers, this one may be the most interesting.
Apparently Felton has fallen out of the good graces of Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, and the situation has deteriorated to the point where Felton no longer believes McMillan has any confidence in his game.
""'I know I’m struggling, but it's hard to perform the way you know how when you know they don't have confidence in you,' Felton told CSNNW Feb. 16. 'Never in my days playing basketball, have I felt like a coach wasn't confident in my abilities. It's hard to play knowing that.'"
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Felton's words seem to suggest that his relationship with Portland may have reached the point of no return, but in this instance, the Blazers' loss could be the Lakers' gain.
As a native of Charlotte, N.C., I am very familiar with Felton from his days as a high school hoops star in tiny Latta, S.C., to his stint as the point guard for North Carolina's 2005 National Championship team and finally as a lottery pick for the Charlotte Bobcats.
One constant throughout Felton's basketball career has been his determination.
Another has been his heart.
Felton has always been an above-average athlete with above-average skills, but the qualities mentioned above are what make him a solid NBA starter.
And while Felton's own confidence may have taken a hit in Portland, I highly doubt the experience has broken his spirit, which is why the Lakers should seriously consider adding him to the roster.
Felton is approaching 28 years old, which means the Lakers would be adding a much-needed mixture of relative youth and experience to their backcourt—and, more importantly, it wouldn't cost the Lakers much to add him.
According to SI.com, the Blazers are possibly interested in re-acquiring Steve Blake in exchange for Felton, and the Lakers do have the $8.9 million trade exception they received in the Lamar Odom deal.
Felton's quickness and his ability to get to the rim off the dribble make him an immediate upgrade over Blake or Derek Fisher, and he's also a better defender than either player as well.
Felton would not address the Lakers' need for outside shooting since he only shoots 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from the three-point line, but the benefits of his potential impact when it comes to penetrating opposing defenses may outweigh the lack of a consistent perimeter game.
No one will ever confuse Felton with prized free-agent point guard Deron Williams,—who played for the Illinois team Felton's Tar Heels defeated in the 2005 title game—but Felton is certainly better than the Lakers' other rumored targets at the point guard position.
Felton is around the same age as Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Ramon Sessions, and unlike Gilbert Arenas, Felton has actually started a game for an NBA team this season.
I'm sure the Lakers could do a lot worse than signing a player like Felton, but unless they manage to acquire Williams, they can't do much better.
