Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding LA's 2017 Rebuilding Plans
The NBA rumor mill can't seem to decide if the Los Angeles Lakers will revert back to instant-gratification mode or stick with the current rebuilding plan.
Paul George is the name the mill most enjoys churning out right now. Under the new guidance of Magic Johnson, the front office could decide to deal some of the prospects gained in recent struggling years and try to win right away.
But another segment of the mill suggests the going-as-planned rebuild will continue around those young prospects, especially if patience holds the key to George's heart anyway.
To say it is an interesting time around the Lakers would be a gross understatement. Here's the latest from mill.
The Chris Bosh Connection
How's this for an angle coming out of nowhere?
Chris Bosh might find himself freed of the Miami Heat and on the free-agent market soon with the Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman reporting the two sides have come to an agreement about the remainder of his salary.
Would the Lakers have an interest? The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson said it's something to keep in mind.
"The Lakers would be a natural possibility; Bosh spends his offseasons in Los Angeles and the Lakers' general manager, Rob Pelinka, is Bosh's former agent," Jackson wrote.
Bosh joining the Lakers presumes the issues surrounding his blood clots finds a resolution. If so, the 33-year-old forward certainly has something to offer the Lakers considering he posted a respectable 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game over 53 appearances in 2015-16.
Maybe Bosh wants to latch on somewhere and try to win a title. The Lakers aren't necessarily that yet, but the connection Jackson highlights is something to keep in mind. Adding a veteran leader who can help groom someone such as Julius Randle would be quite the boon for the Lakers.
All Things Paul George
Lakers fans are perhaps more well-versed about George's situation than fans of the Indiana Pacers.
For those somehow out of the loop, George has one more year left on his deal with the Pacers, wants to compete for a title, hails from California and may be out of patience with the Pacers, a team that just got whipped in the playoffs and had Larry Bird step away from making decisions. To top it all off, George didn't make an all-NBA team, so Indiana's ability to offer George more money than anyone else isn't a factor.
With the basics out of the way, Sam Amick of USA Today noted recently George is focused on improving his legacy.
"And whether it's realistic or not, the 27-year-old who grew up idolizing Bryant in Palmdale, Calif. clearly believes he can lift the Lakers out of the darkness," Amick wrote.
Lakers fans should find this refreshing—the shadow of Kobe Bryant seems to have moved on to the point a superstar like George views rehabbing the franchise as a way to redefine his currently ho-hum legacy.
But the question morphs into wondering how the Lakers should pursue George. Does Magic Johnson throw high-upside assets at the problem via trade or let George come to town as a free agent? Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical suggested the Lakers would go with the latter:
Based on everything available on the situation right now, this doesn't feel like the Lakers having misguided confidence like they have in past years, assuming the prestige of the franchise on its own will lure big names to town.
No, this feels like a legitimate homecoming for a superstar desperate for a change. It leaves the Lakers with options, as they can assure George comes to town via a blockbuster trade or take the risk of waiting and hoping the apparent gut feeling about the situation is correct. If it's the former, what the Lakers are willing to deal steps into the spotlight of the conversation.
Movable Assets
If the Lakers want to deal for George or make another general move, it seems two names keep popping up as trade candidates.
Those are D'Angelo Russell and the aforementioned Randle.
Here's a recent note by NBA.com's Sam Smith explaining the situation: "The Lakers also would love to dump one of those big contracts that resulted in a management change. The talk among general managers is you can pretty easily get D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle."
No shock to find out the Lakers want to shed a contract like the one owed to Timofey Mozgov. If one were predicting headlines about a year ago, the Lakers wanting to move Mozgov was perhaps the easiest call of all.
The real takeaway here is Russell and Randle. The latter quietly continues to develop into a force after missing basically all of his rookie year, last year posting 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds per game. The former is a combo guard who is the team's leader and could pair with a rookie point guard Magic figures to take at No. 2 this year.
On paper, trading either makes sense for certain reasons. With Randle, he's not exactly a high-upside player. He's a solid guy who will play well for a long time, so if the Lakers yearn for more than that, moving him might come into play. With Russell, if the team feels like he can't grow into a high-efficiency player at the 2, maybe Magic ships him away.
But those hypothetical reasons for shipping either of those guys away don't mesh with how the Lakers have handled the rebuild as of late. The Lakers have three potential franchise cornerstones on cheap rookie deals and the confidence that George will come to town of his own free will once he hits the open market.
So while teams won't stop calling about Randle and Russell, it sounds like it will take a drastic change of course for Magic to break up the young core in place, especially with a top-two prospect on the way to add to the mix.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
