Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz on Potential Paul George Trade, Nick Young and More
Despite four consecutive losing seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers remain optimistic about future success. They drafted UCLA's Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in last Thursday's draft in hopes that the hometown point guard can usher in a new Showtime era for Los Angeles' more storied NBA franchise.
Of course, the Lakers' plans don't stop with Ball. They're staying active on the trade market and looking into free-agency possibilities both for this summer and next summer.
With the free-agency period starting July 1, let's discuss three key situations that Los Angeles has been involved with in the past few days.
Lakers Still Pursuing Paul George Trade
The Lakers showed plenty of interest in trading for the Indiana Pacers' Paul George leading up to last Thursday's NBA draft. This interest came despite George saying the Lakers were his No. 1 target for his free agency in 2018, per The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Chris Haynes, Los Angeles' desire to acquire the superstar forward this offseason didn't wane once draft night ended.
Stein said that the Lakers "remain determined" to acquire George despite losing the opportunity of using their draft picks as trade fodder. Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet did report before the draft that the Lakers' preference is to acquire George now, but that they don't want to take away too much talent from the roster to do so.
It seems unlikely that the Lakers will be able to nab George this offseason, since other teams likely have better packages to offer. Los Angeles has insisted on keeping prized forward prospect Brandon Ingram out of trade talks, according to Mark Medina of the Orange County Register, which doesn't leave too many pieces of value for the Lakers to swap out.
Los Angeles Unlikely to Retain Nick Young
Nick Young opted out of the final season of his four-year contract last Wednesday. Will Los Angeles try to keep the 32-year-old three-point specialist around as it continues its rebuild?
At this point, it's not likely, according to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne:
"The Lakers would have loved to have Swaggy back this year, but it's all about cap space next year. Unlikely they'd give him a new deal
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 21, 2017"
Young could receive a slight raise after earning approximately $15.6 million combined over the past three seasons in Tinseltown. His 2016-17 campaign yielded career highs in made three-pointers per game (2.8), true-shooting percentage (58.8) and win shares (3.2), according to Basketball Reference. He even showed some interest in playing defense.
The Lakers may not be willing to offer a competitive price for his services next year and beyond, though— especially since the team kept him on the bench as a healthy scratch for the season's final month as it tanked. Los Angeles' decision to sit Swaggy P should factor into the veteran's decision as well.
The Lakers clearly have big plans for the future, and keeping a veteran around who isn't a major impact player or team leader may not be wise financially.
Lakers Banking on Huge 2018 Offseason
Speaking of the Lakers' big plans, FanRag Sports' Adam Zagoria delivered a whopper of a rumor Saturday. Ready? Here it is:
"'Lonzo's going there and they think they're getting Paul George and LeBron and another player' - League source on the Lakers in 2018
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 24, 2017"
If the Lakers did find a way to sign both LeBron James and George to deals in 2018, that would be the biggest free-agency coup in league history. The move would likely transform Los Angeles into one of the best teams in the league, almost regardless of the other moves they would make leading up to and following those two massive transactions.
Of course, Los Angeles' confidence that this will happen and the actual likelihood of this happening are two totally different things. James is in a very good situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers right now—his squad rules the Eastern Conference with an iron fist, and he has two All-Stars flanking him, along with several other experienced role players.
Why would LeBron leave that for a young core that has yet to develop a winning culture together? Sure, the Lakers could take a step forward this season, but will it be enough to convince James that he can win championships in Tinseltown? The Golden State Warriors don't look to be breaking up anytime soon.
As mentioned earlier, George very well could sign with the Lakers in 2018. However, Los Angeles will need a miracle to acquire the best player in the league next summer.
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