Lakers Rumors: Latest Chatter on Rajon Rondo, Greg Monroe and More
We all know the Los Angeles Lakers haven't been good this season. They put up a franchise-low 27 wins last season (since the team's move to Los Angeles), and they're on pace to finish just as poorly this year as well.
Obviously, those struggles lead to plenty of speculation regarding the team's future. After all, Kobe Bryant won't be around much longer—two more years has been the recent buzz, per NBA.com (via ESPN.com)—and the Lakers don't have too many long-term options residing on their roster.
Will they make any big moves? If so, when will they pull the trigger? Recent gossip from trusted sources around the Web has led to speculation on some top-tier talent and where Los Angeles stands in regards to making a potential acquisition.
Rajon Rondo Rumors
Rajon Rondo may be the most coveted point guard in the entire NBA. He does it all. One of the Association's best facilitators, the guard has averaged double-digit assists in four of his last five seasons (including this year), just missing out on the mark in 2013-14 with an average of 9.8 per game. Yeah, that's not too shabby.
Of course, every team would love a talent like that in its backcourt—especially a team such as Los Angeles that has plenty of shot-takers but severely lacks a shot-creator. This has led to speculation regarding a potential acquisition of Rondo's services by the Lakers.
Well, unfortunately, for the team's faithful, it doesn't appear as though that's going to happen, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News:
"Though the Lakers, like many teams, have a standing interest in Rondo, one source told Sporting News any notion of Los Angeles acquiring Rondo is, "all smoke, no fire." The Celtics and Lakers have had no substantive talks regarding Rondo, and sources continue to maintain that Rondo has not been shopped by Boston in any way.
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After a one-point defeat Monday at the hands of the Washington Wizards, the Boston Celtics currently sit at 7-12 this season and don't look like a contending team. If that trend continues, who's to say the Celtics won't have a change of heart on the matter? For now, however, Rondo appears to be staying put.
Greg Monroe Rumors
Greg Monroe was the target of much trade chatter over the offseason. He didn't want to remain with the Detroit Pistons, and teams around the Association knew it, contacting the Pistons front office with many sign-and-trade offers, only to be rejected by Stan Van Gundy. The end result was Monroe staying put for one more season.
With Detroit struggling mightily this season, it's easy to think Van Gundy may opt to cut his losses and trade the forward before he becomes a free agent this summer. After all, there's a huge market for a player who shoots just under 50 percent from the floor and has averaged upward of 15 points and more than nine rebounds per game over the last four seasons.
Another reason to cut ties may be Monroe's lack of enthusiasm on the court due to his unfavorable position. Here's a look at one such example, per Zach Lowe of Grantland:
The Lakers figured to be major players for Monroe due to their lack of a legitimate power forward; however, according to Shams Charania of RealGM, that's not the case, "Despite speculation in top markets of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, neither were an interested party when Monroe sought offer sheets, sources said."
We'll see if Los Angeles has changed its mindset on this matter after a terrible start to the season, but all indications right now are that when Monroe does leave Detroit, he's highly unlikely to make his way to Los Angeles.
Earl Clark Rumors
Earl Clark spent the 2012-13 season with the Lakers, playing in 59 games and starting 36, while averaging 7.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists—all career highs. With Los Angeles suffering multiple injuries once again this year, it looked to Clark as a potential candidate to bolster an ailing roster.
The forward has spent time this season on the Rio Grande Vipers in the NBA D-League, earning Player of the Month honors in November. The Lakers called him in for a workout and were thought to be interested, but it appears Clark will be heading overseas instead.
ESPN's Marc Stein tweeted the news Tuesday afternoon:
Later in the day, Stein verified his initial report:
"Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Earl Clark, after recent talks to return to the Lakers, is signing a lucrative deal in China instead, according to league sources. Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that Clark is in the process of finalizing his release from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League to make the move to China to join the Shandong Lions.
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That's one potential candidate the Lakers can now scratch off their list. Luckily, forward Ryan Kelly is only likely to miss roughly another four weeks with a nagging hamstring injury, but it appears the team will continue to remain thin at the position until then.
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