Lakers Rumors: Leandro Barbosa Drawing Interest from the Los Angeles Lakers

This just in and according to Marc Stein of ESPN the Lakers have expressed interest in guard, Leandro Barbosa.

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Hearing out of Brazil camp that they believe Lakers have interest in free-agent Leandro Barbosa… Question is how much Lakers, w/only 13 contracts but WELL into tax territory, have to spend. Brazil also worried Barbosa might be pressing.

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This was later tweeted and confirmed by RealGM:

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Lakers Interested In Leandro Barbosa -- bit.ly/Mm0mgX

— RealGM (@RealGM) August 2, 2012"

Last season, the Lakers were plagued by their own inabilities when it came to perimeter shooting. 

For a team that features two elite big men in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, floor spacing is vital to this team's success. When the outside shot frequently fell to the wayside, so too did the Lakers' offense as defenders became enabled to clog and force hard double-teams in the paint. 

Los Angeles is clearly addressing this issue this offseason as they have expressed interest in Jodie Meeks, C.J. Miles and now Barbosa.

Leandro Barbosa would bring a combination of precision shooting and speed, both hot commodities for a Lakers' bench sorely lacking in these areas.

It should also be noted that he was a former teammate of new arrival, Steve Nash which would only help in adding chemistry to a Lakers' team that will be forced to adjust to yet another new offensive system.

With the Toronto Raptors last season, Barbosa proved incredibly effective as he averaged 12.2 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field and 36 percent from long range. He was dealt to the Indiana Pacers later in the year and his numbers took a slight hit as a result of his reduced minutes, but his three-point accuracy rose to 42 percent.

The Lakers are in a prime position to contend as is and Barbosa would serve to bring them one step closer to another NBA championship.

Don't count on this year's bench finishing last as they did last season should Leandro Barbosa arrive.

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