NBA Free Agents 2011: Why Lakers Need to Sign Guard Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas was once known as a top guard in the entire NBA.

Now, he is wasting away in free agency. Not one team seems interested in adding the aging All-Star to their roster.

What's really fascinating, is that Arenas is only 29 years old.

There are plenty of teams out there that should be showing some interest in making a move. No team stands out more than the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant is getting a divorce and has a ligament tear in his right wrist.

Lamar Odom is gone.

Pau Gasol isn't a happy camper.

The Clippers just spanked the team twice to show their dominance in the city.

Why are the Lakers waiting to pull the trigger to bring in Arenas?

They already showed they were interested in bringing in new talent at the guard position when they attempted to make a move for Chris Paul.

Point guard is one of the biggest issues on the Lakers roster. Arenas may not be the star he once was, but he would still be an improvement from what the team has now.

At the very least he could be a valuable bench player since he has the ability to step in at point guard or shooting guard.

Off the bench, Arenas could still prove very valuable for a team with a star like Kobe Bryant who will be battling through his injury all season.

The Lakers don't need him to score 30 points a game. They have Bryant and Gasol to do that.

What they do need is a situational player or a guy to step in at point guard and give them 15 or so points a game. That's something Arenas still has the ability to do.

ESPN reports that the Lakers are one of the teams on Arenas' wish list.

It's time for the organization to make it happen.