Following a quiet trade deadline, the eyes of Laker Nation are on available free agents and potential buyout candidates as they hope their Los Angeles Lakers answer the big move made yesterday by their crosstown rival L.A. Clippers for Marcus Morris from the New York Knicks.
And the Lakers organization, true to form, leaned right into the spotlight and controversy by bringing free agent NBA point guard Darren Collison for a “recruiting visit” according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, where he sat courtside next to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Director of Special Projects Linda Rambis. Collison walked away from the game this summer but obviously hasn’t turned in his retirement papers to the league just yet.
On Thursday, Matt Barnes relayed a message from Collison that he was still “50-50” on whether he would return to the NBA at all after choosing not to sign with someone in the offseason.
The question now is whether the Lakers will make the painful, but required the move of waiving someone from their current team in order to sign Collison. They have a full 15-man roster and according to several players on the roster, including LeBron James and coach Frank Vogel, chemistry has been an integral part of their success this season.
James and Vogel both dodged questions last night about Collison.
The Lakers are playing it coy and Collison himself still hasn’t committed to an NBA return. But the Lakers, for as great as Rob Pelinka was at building this team in the summer, have a delicate dance to consider if they are going to tinker with their squad.
