Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz on Team's Plans for Trade Market and Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers have won just 91 out of 328 games since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, which is their worst four-year stretch in franchise history. 

However, a brighter future may be on the horizon. A new era has been ushered into L.A. with Lakers controlling owner and president Jeanie Buss naming NBA legend Magic Johnson as the president of basketball operations and former University of Michigan basketball player and NBA agent Rob Pelinka as the general manager.

Naturally, Lakers rebuilding rumors are appearing on the Internet every week, with much speculation about how they can return to their glory days.

Here's a look at three rumors along with some analysis.

Dion Waiters

The Miami Heat shooting guard, who doubles as one of the most interesting people in basketball, enjoyed a very good season this year, averaging 15.8 points per game and shooting a career-high 39.5 percent from three-point range.

Waiters is now a free agent and is bound to have some teams inquiring about his services. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported some news on that front:

"Though there had been some concern that Dion Waiters’ former agent, new Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, might make a big offer for Waiters this summer, Lakers executive Magic Johnson – whose team has $23 million in cap space – told reporters: 'I'm really looking to keep the cap space that we have and really try to play in next year's free-agent class, and not really this free-agent class.'"

It's hard to imagine seeing Waiters in purple and gold next year even without considering Johnson's aforementioned comments. Although incumbent shooting guard Nick Young may decline his 2017-18 player option and go into free agency, the Lakers still have D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson in the backcourt.

Furthermore, the NBA draft is filled with electrifying and potentially elite point guards. With the Lakers owning the No. 2 pick, they could grab one of them (e.g. Lonzo Ball or De'Aaron Fox) and move Russell to shooting guard next year.

Do not expect Waiters to play in L.A. next year. Miami seems like the best fit given the success he found in South Beach last season.

Jordan Clarkson

The 24-year-old reserve guard had a solid year in Los Angeles, posting 14.7 points per game. He started the Lakers' last 16 games of the season and bumped his scoring average to 16.2 points in that span while also contributing 3.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds a night.

However, there could be an odd man out in the Lakers backcourt this offseason if Los Angeles drafts a guard. Per Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders, that someone could be Clarkson: "I've been told by someone in the know that the Lakers are 'increasingly open-minded' about trading Jordan Clarkson and to not be surprised for him to end up being moved as soon as draft night. That's conjecture at this point, as the Lakers need not rush to clear what may appear to be a logjam in the making."

Clarkson is best suited coming off the bench, where he can fill two roles by being a backup point and shooting guard. He'll be 25 years old when next season begins, and given that he only has three years of experience, Clarkson has room to develop and grow.

The Lakers should hang onto Clarkson as a key sixth man next year, take either Lonzo Ball or De'Aaron Fox at No. 2 and move D'Angelo Russell to shooting guard. That's a good, young backcourt with loads of potential.

Jimmy Butler

Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler has seemingly been involved in some sort of trade or free-agency rumor every day for the past two years.

Butler was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Thursday night, and the host asked Butler about going to the Lakers. Per Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune, Butler flatly denied any L.A. connection, citing his love for the city of Chicago as well as the Bulls, who picked him with the last selection of the first round in the 2011 draft.

Butler, who averaged career highs in points (23.9), rebounds (6.2) and assists (5.5) last year, is under contract with the Bulls through 2019. He has a player option in 2019, but he can decline that and enter free agency that summer.

There's a very real possibility Butler's future isn't with Chicago despite his comments to Jimmy Kimmel.

According to Andrew Seligman of the Associated Press, the Bulls were "noncommittal" in a postseason press conference on May 3, with executive vice-president of basketball operations John Paxson saying, "You always have to keep things open."

If Butler is headed out of Chicago, Los Angeles doesn't seem like the destination, simply because another superstar small forward, Paul George, seems like a future Laker either via trade or free agency (likely the latter).

Here is Sam Amick of USA Today with a report: "Whether in free agency two summers from now or via trade before then, the four-time All-Star is still hell-bent on joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe now more than ever."

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical also reported that the Lakers are confident of landing Paul George as a free agent following next season.

Therefore, if Butler goes anywhere, don't expect it to be in Southern California.