Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz Ahead of Los Angeles' Offseason

By all accounts, Anthony Davis has been the perfect co-star for LeBron James.

Davis is a skilled and multifaceted big who can play power forward and center, and he is a defensive playmaker of the highest order who also led the Los Angeles Lakers in scoring.

The Brow is one of the additions who has helped transform L.A.'s defense into one of the top-three units in the league after ranking 12th in defensive rating last season. He hunts for blocks as a help defender but also uses his length and athleticism to make plays in the passing games.

Even though the Lakers lost Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal against the Houston Rockets on Friday night, Davis did his best to will them to a win. The 27-year-old scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, also adding 14 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Davis has been an absolutely vital part of L.A.'s success this year...which is why it is interesting to learn the Lakers nearly ended up with Damian Lillard instead.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported "a source with knowledge of Lillard’s situation said there was Lakers interest in a superstar pairing with Lillard and LeBron James before the Davis deal went down in June 2019." Rather than duking it out in the first round, Lillard and James might otherwise have been teammates.

The addition of Lillard would have totally changed the dynamic of this Lakers team. LeBron has had tremendous success being the primary facilitator in L.A.'s offense. He led the NBA with 10.2 assists per game and also showed more of a comfort in running offensive actions through the post.

Lillard is not necessarily a liability off the ball, but he excels at assessing his options as soon as he crosses the timeline, dissecting opposing bigs in the pick-and-roll and choosing when to attack the basket. Lillard's willingness to pull up from anywhere made him one of the premier stars in Orlando, where he continued to cement his status as a superstar.

James has had past success with scoring point guards, winning a championship with Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Might he and Lillard have been able to achieve greatness?

Basketball fans will never know the answer to that question. In the meantime, they will watch the Lakers attempt to claw out of an early deficit against the Rockets.

Jason Kidd Interested in Sixers Job   

Kevin C. Cox/Associated Press

Lakers assistant and former All-Star point guard Jason Kidd was one of the candidates for the New York Knicks' head coaching job before New York hired Tom Thibodeau.

Now, it appears Kidd is angling for a different gig.

The Philadelphia 76ers are officially entering the search for a new head coach after firing Brett Brown following the team's sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Kidd "wants the job," though he would be entering into an entirely different situation in Philly than he would have in the Big Apple.

The Sixers are bona fide contenders in the Eastern Conference, with one of the best big men in the league in Joel Embiid and a do-it-all point guard who can defend at a high level in Ben Simmons. But for all their talent, the Sixers have had little playoff success.

Philadelphia came within one game of reaching the conference finals last year but struggled to replicate its success during this past regular season before meekly bowing out in the first round. It remains to be seen whether (or how much) Sixers general manager Elton Brand will change the roster, but it seems like the franchise is in for a bit of a shake-up. 

Whether Kidd can elevate the organization is another question. Kidd has a 183-190 career record as a head coach, and he was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2017-18 season despite a 23-22 start.

Perhaps Kidd has the experience and tough-minded approach needed to put the Sixers over the top, though he is sure to face stiff competition for the job.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.