D'Angelo Russell (Photo : REUTERS)
The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly putting their name in as one of the contenders for the service of point guard Ty Lawson, who is expected to be shipped out of Mile High after the Denver Nuggets drafted Congolese playmaker Emmanuel Mudiay.
In a report by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the Lakers are mentioned as one of three teams, the other are the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons, interested in trading for the 27-year old Lawson.
"Houston, Detroit and the L.A. Lakers are among the teams that have expressed interest in Lawson recently, and there remains a strong possibility the Nuggets could unload Lawson before training camp," according to S.I
While the Rockets and the Pistons are still looking to add depth in their backcourt, the Lakers' interest in Lawson is quite intriguing in the sense that they already have very deep guard rotation (D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, Kobe Bryan and possibly Jabari Brown).
Russell, the no.2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, just had a forgetful performance in Summer League, as the former Buckeyes standout put up 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 30 minutes per game while shooting 37 percent from the field, including a cringe-worthy 12 percent from beyond the arc. He also turned the ball over at least five times per game.
Although one poor Summer League campaign isn't enough to consider Russell a bust at this early stage of his career, NBA pundits and even Lakers head coach Byron Scott all agreed that the youngster is still not ready to assume a role with the starting unit right away.
Lawson, who averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 assists in 35 minutes per game last season, could be what the Lakers need right now, a veteran point guard capable of putting up the numbers right away to keep the Lakers in the thick of things in a very competitive Western Conference playoff race, while Russell is still learning the ins and outs of being pro in his rookie season.
With their cap space already exhausted, the Lakers don't have the capacity to trade for Lawson ($26 million over two years left in his contract) straight-up. However, they could use a help of a conduit party to get their man.
Lawson is set to enter a private alcohol treatment facility following his second DUI arrest in six months. Unfortunately, the Lakers may have no other choice but to make another gamble. With Russell at the infant stage of his NBA development, Lawson might be the only option for the Lakers to keep themselves relevant in the wild, wild West for now.
