The NBA trade deadline has finally come and gone and the Los Angeles Lakers stayed uncharacteristically quiet. It was looking like they might make a run at a player like Marcus Morris, but it appears they didn’t want to give up Kyle Kuzma. The team will now need to look to the buyout market and free agency to land talent for a potential NBA Finals run. One name that they’ve been connected to for months is veteran point guard Darren Collison.
Collison abruptly retired before the start of the current NBA season, but most signs point to him making a comeback with a Los Angeles team. The Clippers figured to provide stiff competition for Collison, but they added Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Morris at the trade deadline. The purple and gold were already considered to be the favorites to land the point guard and now Kevin O’Connor believes that Collison is the Lakers’ to lose.
League sources have long believed that Darren Collison’s preference is the Lakers over the Clippers. With Isaiah Thomas now going to the Clippers, it’s reasonable to expect the Lakers to eventually sign Collison.
Collison may not have the All-Star pedigree that somebody like a Derrick Rose would’ve brought the team, but he wouldn’t require making a trade and he’s more than capable of leading the offense when LeBron James is on the bench. Sean Deveney of Heavy.com is reporting that Collison isn’t likely to make his comeback until after the All-Star break. That should give him enough time to get over any rust he may have from not playing in months before the playoffs.
First Time Lakers Haven’t Made Trade at Deadline Since 2015-2016
Based on how the Lakers have functioned over the last few years, it was easy to believe that they’d pull off at least one trade before the deadline. However, they did not for the first time since the 2015-2016 season.
The last time the Lakers did not make a deadline deal was 2015-16, when Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss were in the chair. Every year since Magic and Pelinka came aboard, there has been a trade. Not sure that streak continues today.
Those were in the pre-Rob Pelinka days, but it appears the Lakers are happy with their current team. It’s hard not to be. They have the best record in the Western Conference and the chemistry the team has is reportedly otherworldly. This Lakers team may not be the most talented team ever, but they may not need to be considering how well each piece fits with the other.
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LeBron James Sounds off on Iggy Trade
One player the Lakers would’ve loved to obtain was Andre Iguodala thanks to his amazing defensive ability. Unfortunately, the Memphis Grizzlies decided to play hardball and ended up sending him to the Miami Heat. LeBron James is very familiar with how good Iguodala can be and he had a chance to talk about the trade to his former team.
“I saw it and I was like, ‘OK,'” James said Thursday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I think it makes them a better team because of his championship DNA, you add that to that championship culture down there. So it helps them right away. … I know that ‘Dre is happy to be suiting it back up.”
The Heat now finds themselves as very interesting contenders in the East. No, they probably haven’t overtaken the Milwaukee Bucks as the best team in the conference, but they’ll certainly cause a headache in the playoffs.
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Lakers Get Key Update on Darren Collison After Trade Deadline: Report