Metta World Peace returns to Los Angeles for a one year deal with Lakers. His experience as veteran player is needed to help young players develop themselves.
Jeremy Lin demonstrates his value on the hardcourt as an efficient point guard during his breakout 2015-16 season with Charlotte Hornets. But after declining the player option, the ‘Linsanity’ star is looking for greener pastures in the free agency season this July.
Croatian-born Dragan Bender has made a headline as an international basketball sensation trailing behind LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram as one of the top NBA draft favorites. Having fallen out of LA Lakers’ initial interest, the next prospective destination is Boston Celtics with their overall No.3 pick.
Recent speculations point to a possible trade of Lakers’ D'Angelo Russell for Jazz's Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. While Lakers feel quite secured with their second top pick with the prospective drafting of either Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons, the team needs Hayward and Favors to strengthen their shoddy defense.
Miami Heat is currently in a bind as it grapples with cap space dilemma. With three of its core players set to become free agents on top of an ongoing Chris Bosh blood clot saga, re-signing Hassan Whiteside will definitely meet a competitive and juicier max contract offer from LA Lakers.
Nicolas Batum is likely to stay with Charlotte Hornets as part of a deal with the French national team that would allow the French small forward to play for the Qualifying Tournament ahead of Rio Summer Olympics. FIBA’s qualifying games unfortunately coincide with the start of NBA free agency season.
Luke Walton is apparently trying to get ex-Laker and former Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw as part of his coaching staff once he officially becomes the LA Lakers’ head coach at the end of the season. Shaw, however, is also being courted by Indiana Pacers for the similar position.
Philadelphia 76ers are likely to choose Australian-born LSU star player Ben Simmons over Duke’s Brandon Ingram after winning the first overall pick in the NBA draft lottery last Tuesday. After getting the top 2 overall pick, LA Lakers would likely get second pick favorite Ingram to their young roster under Luke Walton’s leadership.
If luck does his bidding, LSU star player Ben Simmons would want to play for the highly marketable west coast franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers, to sign in to a $10-million sponsorship (plus a number of perks) offer by German footwear giant Adidas. Simmons, represented by Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group, prefers Adidas’ juicier deal over Nike’s $7-million (with less incentives) offer.
Chicago All-Star guard Jimmy Butler was recently seen hanging out with ‘Pretty Little Liars’ actress Shay Mitchell fueling speculations that two may already be dating. Meanwhile, the Bulls may still continue to keep Butler to their roster despite ongoing talks with other teams for possible trade offers.
LA Lakers is expected to mobilize its enormous cap space to sign in badly-needed recruits to build a serious title contender following a disastrous two-year losing streak. Reports indicate that the team is eyeing to get Warriors giant Festus Ezelie to fill in the team’s 2016-17 center vacancy.
Lakers GM Kupchak recently explained why the franchise offered Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton the head coaching job. He cited his impressive interim coach performance under Steve Kerr’s tutelage as the most convincing factor in hiring him.
In its effort to rebuild a more credible and stronger lineup following its worst record performance in the 2015-16 season, Lakers is reportedly eyeing Paul George in its shopping list in free agency season. With a huge cap space, it can offer lucrative deals for trade but Indiana may probably ask for more before parting one of its prized asset.
Luke Walton’s first year as the guy in charge of the Lakers will involve a lot of team restructuring. For that, he’ll need a formidable coaching staff which purportedly includes a former Laker himself and pupil of the legendary Phil ‘Zen Master’ Jackson
Harrison Barnes is an up-and-coming talent and a valuable asset for the Warriors. Now, Lakers hopes to get him off the Golden State roster by offering him a max contract which could prove too taxing for the Warriors to match.
