NBA Rumors: Darren Collison to Remain Retired Amid Lakers, Clippers Interest

Darren Collison will reportedly remain retired after all.  

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the news Sunday, noting that the 32-year-old UCLA product does not plan on playing this season because the "timing isn't right." Wojnarowski pointed out the decision came even though championship contenders in the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers were "courting him."

Collison first entered the league when the then-New Orleans Hornets selected him with the No. 21 overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft. He has played for the Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Pacers again in a second stint.

He was most recently a member of the Pacers last season and averaged 11.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 76 games while helping lead the team to the playoffs.

While he was never an All-Star, he was a consistent playmaker who averaged double-digit scoring figures in each of his 10 seasons. He also shot 39.4 percent from three-point range during his career and figured to be someone who could take advantage of the spacing alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Clippers or LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Lakers.

That was not lost on Lakers fans at Staples Center who gave Collison a warm welcome when he was sitting courtside at Thursday's game against the Houston Rockets.

It seemed he might be poised to join the Purple and Gold, especially since he played under head coach Frank Vogel when they were both in Indiana. But that will not be the case.

That likely means James will be put into a situation come playoff time in which he has to act like a de facto point guard for extended stretches with the ball in his hands. That shouldn't be an issue given his overall skill set, but having another playoff-tested veteran in the point guard rotation would have been a welcome development for the Lakers or Clippers.