Lakers News: Latest Rumors on Dwight Howard, Markieff Morris, More
It could be an eventful offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, and this week is going to be the start of it.
Anthony Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are declining their player options for the 2020-21 season, but it's possible both will return to the Lakers (especially Davis, who is expected to re-sign with the team). There are several other key players from the championship-winning 2019-20 roster who will also be hitting the free-agent market Friday.
Among that group are Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris, a pair of experienced big men who have proved they can be solid contributors. According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are interested in bringing both back next season.
Howard signed a one-year deal with L.A. prior to last season and then had a bounce-back year. The 34-year-old center averaged 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 69 regular-season games (two starts). He averaged 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18 playoff games (seven starts) during the Lakers' run to the NBA title.
Morris signed with Los Angeles in February after playing 44 games for the Detroit Pistons to begin the 2019-20 season. The 31-year-old forward played only 14 regular-season games with the Lakers (averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds), but he went on to play in 21 postseason games (making two starts) and averaging 5.9 points in the playoffs.
If Howard and Morris return to Los Angeles, they should continue to provide depth for the team and could play some key minutes again in 2020-21.
The Lakers are likely to do more than just bring back players who were already on their team, though. And they've already started to do that, reportedly agreeing on a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder that would bring point guard Dennis Schroder to Los Angeles.
In that deal, the Lakers are sending shooting guard Danny Green to the Thunder, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. So that's a role on their bench they'll need to fill before the start of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22. And it appears they may already have a target in mind.
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers are "very interested" in signing Wesley Matthews to replace Green as "an all-important defensive-minded wing." Matthews is an unrestricted free agent after he declined his 2020-21 player option with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Matthews is an 11-year NBA veteran who has played for six teams throughout his career. During his lone season with the Bucks in 2019-20, the 34-year-old averaged 7.4 points in 67 regular-season games, all of which he started. He averaged 7.2 points per game in 10 starts during the playoffs.
Like Howard and Morris, Matthews would be a solid veteran presence for the Lakers to have on their bench. Plus, he's proved he can still play at a high level for a contending team, as he did for the Bucks this past season.
Los Angeles' primary goal during this short offseason is to construct a roster that can help it repeat as NBA champions next year, and it appears these moves could be among the ones it decides to make.
