Lakers Rumors: Latest on LeBron James, Derek Fisher and More from Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the NBA’s offseason news cycle this summer, and it looks like this juggernaut will not be stopped anytime soon.

Whenever players like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash join forces on a basketball team in one of the largest cities on the planet, people are going to be interested in every minute detail of the franchise.

Sometimes, these reports and rumors have little to do with the organization as it stands right now, and often look far into the future and what could happen down the line.

Let’s take a look at a few of these rumors and then bring in one of the latest actual reports from training camp.

LeBron to Los Angeles

While this seems like an extremely far-fetched fantasy, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is reporting that Lakers are attempting to make a run at LeBron James in the summer of 2014.

James has an opt-out clause in his contract with the Miami Heat that would allow him to become a free agent, and it’s coincidentally the year that Kobe Bryant said he may likely retire.

While it seems that DH12 is going to be the future face of the franchise, the big man hasn’t shown the ability to lead a team to a Finals victory (he dragged the Magic in ’09, but lost in five games to Kobe’s Lakers).

If GM Mitch Kupchak could somehow finagle his way into landing LeBron after Kobe retires, it would go down as the greatest front-office coup in NBA history. It’s still two years away from even possibly becoming a reality and the chances are miniscule, but it is out there.

 

Derek Fisher back in L.A.

It’s no surprise that the Lakers want Fisher back on the roster. The veteran point guard is free to join with whichever franchise will take him, including the Lakers, after ESPN’s Marc Stein found that reports that he would have to wait until March to sign a deal with L.A. were false.

However, the Lakers currently have Chris Duhon and Steve Blake behind Nash at the PG position. They will need another franchise to come take one of them off of their hands, otherwise there will be a logjam at the position, plus the roster is already at capacity.

If the Lakers can wait, Fisher might be a good addition later in the season, as he can save his legs for the inevitable postseason run and it gives Kupchak time to dump either Blake or Duhon.

 

Lakers Finalizing Roster

An NBA.com report just announced that Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson have been cut from training camp. This leaves the team with 18 players competing for 15 spots.

Neither player had much impact in their limited preseason appearances with the Lakers. It was inevitable that they would be sliced from the roster following those performances.

We’ll keep you updated here on B/R with the latest news, updates, rumors and more out of Lakers camp as the offseason winds down.