Getty Kent Bazemore & Russell Westbrook defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Free agency is about to kick into high gear for the Los Angeles Lakers as the team has a lot of roster spots to fill up. The only free agent from last year’s team that they appear to want back is Malik Monk. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, the young guard showed a lot of potential last season and will likely cost more than the team could afford.
One guard who the Lakers could afford is Kent Bazemore. He notably declined a bigger offer from the Golden State Warriors so that he could return to Los Angeles. Instead of winning last season’s championship with the Warriors, he rode the bench for much of the years with the Lakers. He should still be able to land with the team and Los Angeles could give him another look under new head coach Darvin Ham.
With free agency starting up, Bazemore posted a rather cryptic tweet of just the eyes emoji and a ninja emoji.
It’s unclear what this means and Bazemore could simply be stirring the pot knowing that NBA fans are desperate for free agency rumors this time of year.
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What Could Bazemore Be Hinting At?
Until he officially hits free agency, Bazemore is technically still a member of the Lakers. It’s possible that he knows Los Angeles is trying to bring him back and that’s why he tweeted out the cryptic message. He could also be aware of a move the team is making.
The tweet could also be referencing potential interest he’s getting from other teams around the league. Perhaps the Warriors are interested in bringing him back on a minimum contract. He was a better fit in Golden State than he was in Los Angeles. It’s hard to imagine he’s a big priority for the Lakers this offseason. Ham was not on the coaching staff during Bazemore’s first stint with the team.
Lakers in Danger of Losing Monk
If the Lakers lose Bazemore in free agency, it won’t affect the team much. However, losing Monk would be a big blow. The young guard hasn’t been shy about wanting to stay with the team and even admitted he’d consider taking a discount. While that’s a nice thought, Monk also hasn’t gotten a big payday in his career yet. Once he gets a big offer in front of him, he could start forgetting about the Lakers.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Sacramento Kings are working to poach Monk from Los Angeles.
“It’s a very different situation than the Lakers, but I know that there’s mutual interest,” Fischer told Marc Stein. “The one team I’ve heard to look out for for him not to go to Lakers is the Sacramento Kings.”
The Kings got much more money to play with and Monk would be able to stay in California. Losing him to Sacramento would certainly be a tough blow but the Lakers might not have the means to keep him. Keeping Monk would be ideal but the team needs wings anyway so it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
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