Lakers Rumors: Breaking Down Remaining Plans for 2022 Offseason
Since NBA free agency began last week, the Los Angeles Lakers have been busy making moves. They need to fill out their roster with players this offseason, and that's what they've already started to do.
Over the past week, the Lakers have signed guards Lonnie Walker IV and Troy Brown Jr., forward Juan Toscano-Anderson and centers Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones. Those may not be major additions, but they're valuable role players who could contribute for Los Angeles during the 2022-23 season.
The Lakers likely aren't done, though. They could even make some much larger moves, especially as they decide whether to bring back Russell Westbrook, whether to pursue a trade for Kyrie Irving and more.
As Los Angeles contemplates what it will do, here's some of the latest buzz surrounding the team at this point in the offseason.
'No Traction' on a Potential Deal for Irving
Kyrie Irving recently opted in to his $36.5 million player option with the Brooklyn Nets for the 2022-23 campaign. That's not a guarantee that the 30-year-old point guard will be back with the team for the upcoming season, though. The Nets could soon make some major moves now that Kevin Durant has requested a trade.
There's been some smoke surrounding a potential Irving-to-Lakers deal. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported over the weekend that Los Angeles and Brooklyn were discussing a trade to exchange Westbrook and Irving.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week and indicated that Irving may not be heading to the Lakers anytime soon.
"There's no traction on any type of a Lakers deal for Kyrie Irving. There's nothing new on that," Charania said on the show. "And I'm not quite sure we're going to see that take place."
Where does that leave Irving for the 2022-23 season? That remains unclear. Perhaps he stays in Brooklyn or ends up somewhere else. Of course, there's also still time for things to change and for him to land in Los Angeles. But right now, it seems unlikely Irving will be putting on a Lakers uniform, based on Charania's report.
Lakers Potentially Interested in Gordon or Hield?
Even if the Lakers don't trade for Irving, they could swing a deal for another guard. And there appears to be two on the team's wishlist.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles has "checked in on" Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon and has also shown interest in Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield. Both players are former clients of Rob Pelinka, who was an agent before becoming the Lakers' general manager in 2017.
The 33-year-old Gordon has spent the past six seasons in Houston. He continues to be a solid contributor at this point in his career, but with the Rockets being in rebuild mode, it would make sense for them to consider trading him as he enters the final two seasons of his contract.
Hield, 29, was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Pacers in February. There were reports that the Lakers had considered trading for Hield last offseason, but nothing materialized and they acquired Westbrook instead.
Gordon or Hield would provide a boost to Los Angeles' backcourt, but whether a trade for either comes to fruition may depend on the asking price and what the Lakers are willing to part with to acquire either. They'd also be less likely to happen if Los Angeles ends up trading for Irving.
Could Return for Collison Be in the Works?
Last season, Darren Collison came out of retirement to sign with the Lakers. He played only three games for Los Angeles, but he also spent some time with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League.
Now, it appears Collison is again interested in playing during the 2022-23 season. And a return to Los Angeles could be imminent.
Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers hosted the 34-year-old Collison for a workout on Wednesday. Collison averaged 12.3 minutes over his three games with Los Angeles during the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 1.3 points per contest.
Collison played for five teams over his first 10 NBA seasons, and he was solid over that span, averaging 12.5 points in 708 games. He retired in 2019 following a two-year stint with the Pacers before coming back to play last season.
While signing Collison may not be a huge splash, he could be a solid veteran for the Lakers to add to their bench for the 2022-23 campaign.