Hassan Whiteside (Photo : Getty Images)
Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Hassan Whiteside is the latest big name in the free-agency market to deny the Los Angeles Lakers a meeting, after Kevin Durant, according to Basketball Insiders writer Alex Kennedy.
Whiteside, 27, will reportedly meet three teams in New York. He's scheduled to meet the Dallas Mavericks first before sitting down with the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers. Surprisingly, the Lakers aren't included in his schedule despite the team being mentioned as an aggressive suitor.
The latest development is yet another big blow to the Lakers, who were already denied the opportunity to make a pitch for free-agent alpha dog Kevin Durant.
There are still several marquee free-agents up for grabs like Al Horford, DeMar DeRozan and Chandler Parsons, but the fact that they are getting rejections from coveted stars doesn't bode well for the Lakers this free-agency season.
-Nicolas Batum has agreed to give the Lakers a meeting hours before the start of the free-agency season. The Frenchman had a resurging run last season with the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 14.9 points, 5.8 assists and 6.1 rebounds.
The Hornets are reportedly determined to retain Batum, whom they acquired in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers last summer. However, cap space rich ball clubs such as the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers also expressed interest in the versatile wingman.
-Speaking of wingman, the Lakers are believed to have huge interest in Chandler Parsons and Harrison Barnes. After selecting Duke's wingman Brandon Ingram, the Lakers want more depth in that position by getting either Parsons or Barnes.
Parsons played 61 games last season, averaging 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field (41 percent from beyond the arc). Barnes, on the other hand, helped the Golden State Warriors reach their second straight final, putting up at least 11 points and 5 rebounds a game.
