Lakers Rumors: Latest Trade, Free-Agent Buzz Following 2015 NBA Draft
Looks like the Los Angeles Lakers are back.
Well, kind of.
With the second pick of the 2015 NBA draft, the team picked up what it hopes is the next superstar in point guard D’Angelo Russell, an electrifying 19-year-old out of Ohio State. But general manager Mitch Kupchak still has other holes to fill on the roster.
L.A. will have hoards of cap room this summer, and the team will definitely be aggressive as Kobe Bryant heads toward the final chapter of his career.
What’s the word coming out of Los Angeles? Let’s look at three of the biggest rumors swirling around.
Dangling D’Angelo
No, this can’t be...can it?
So, after passing on Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 pick, Los Angeles would really consider trading their new golden boy?
According to Mark Heisler of Forbes, it’s possible. He wrote: "If the Lakers and Sacramento Kings stopped talking about DeMarcus Cousins to take part in the NBA draft, it remains to be seen if that was merely a pause. A league source tells Forbes.com that the Lakers would still trade newly-drafted D’Angelo Russell for Cousins."
Wow.
Opting to add Russell to an already guard-stacked roster when a big like Okafor was available surely shows that the team sees Hollywood-esque success on the lefty’s horizon. And this rumor doesn't really change that.
Still, it’s alarming that Heisler would report that the team would send Russell packing if the Kings changed their mind on a trade for Boogie.
D.J. Looking at the Other Team in L.A.
DeAndre Jordan would cure L.A.’s big fella woes.
The Los Angeles Clippers center is an absolute freak on defense, guarding the tin like a momma bear guards her cubs—ferociously.
Jordan will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he’s going to test the market and possibly leave the Clips—and his supposed feud with Chris Paul—behind.
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that “NBA officials not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said there indeed is a rift between Jordan and Paul.”
He went on to write that the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Clippers and the Lakers will visit Jordan at his home in Houston sometime after July 1.
Imagine Jordan patrolling the paint inside as Russell and Jordan Clarkson wreak havoc on the break while Bryant dominates in the half-court offense.
Man, the Lakers could go from a zero to hero in a blink.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg would be intrigued by this pairing:
Los Angeles will also be pushing hard for other big-time big men like LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol.
However he does it, Kupchak needs to add size to this roster. Getting Jordan in purple and gold would be an unbelievable catch.
Lakers Don’t Want Rondo
With Russell in, potential free-agent signee Rajon Rondo is out.
That comes to us courtesy of Sean Deveney of SportingNews.com, who dove in a bit deeper on this here rumor. He wrote: "The Lakers had long been connected with point guard Rajon Rondo in free agency, in part because of his friendship with star Kobe Bryant, but the addition of Russell ends that possibility. One source, when asked about Rondo going to the Lakers, simply said, 'Doubtful.'"
Bryant has long admired Rondo for his rip-your-heart-out attitude.
"We get along extremely well," the Mamba told ESPN.com's Baxter Holmer in December. "We see the game in a similar fashion in terms of our aggressiveness and mindset. It was good to get together with him."
Russell has a whole lot of swag himself, but right now his mentality is closer to Nick Young than Bryant. He could absolutely be the franchise’s post-Kobe superstar, but he’s yet to play a professional minute. L.A. would be crazy to hitch their future strictly on him.
That’s why Rondo coming to Los Angeles still makes some sense.
Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the PG is “intrigued with the idea of a potential one-year deal in Sacramento that could help to rebuild his league-wide value, sources said.”
Why couldn’t he sign such a deal with the Lakers? If he works himself into a starting role over Russell or Clarkson, his damaged reputation would be restored quite a bit. Running a well-oiled machine in the second unit wouldn’t be too bad either.
It’d take some convincing to get Rondo, a notoriously proud player, to accept such a role. But who better than Bryant to get him to buy in?
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