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The Los Angeles Lakers had interest in one of LeBron James‘ former teammates, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. Cedi Osman, who played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, did not want to participate in Lakers’ training camp.
Eurohoops’ Nikola Miloradovic revealed the full details of why Osman turned the Lakers down.
“(Osman) also received interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, which invited him for a training camp; however, due to the lack of guarantees about making it to the season roster, he decided to refuse and come back to Europe,” Miloradovic wrote in a September 7 story.
Instead of attending any team’s training camp, Osman will go overseas to resume his professional basketball career. While being courted by Real Madrid, Osman will play for Panathinaikos Athens, as Eurohoops also confirmed.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Osman’s NBA career is dead, but rather that it has been put on hiatus for the time being. Osman played in the NBA from 2017 to 2024 with the Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.
Cedi Osman Played With LeBron James in Cleveland
Osman is familiar with James’ game as a basketball player since the two were teammates during the latter’s last season in Cleveland. The two of them shared the floor during the 2017-18 season.
This coincided with Osman’s rookie season, during which he played 61 games but didn’t get much playing time. In 11 minutes a game, Osman averaged 3.9 points, two rebounds, and 0.7 assists. He also shot 48.4% from the field and 36.8% from three. He went on to appear in 14 of the Cavaliers’ playoff games, though his role only decreased even more.
Since leaving the Cavaliers for the Lakers, a few of James’ former teammates have joined him in LA, including JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, and Isaiah Thomas. None of them had the same role with the Lakers that they did with the Cavaliers years prior, but LeBron wanted to team up with them again.
Had he joined the Lakers, Osman may have brought some familiarity with James but wanted a secure spot on the roster that the Lakers couldn’t promise.
Lakers Named Among Top Landing Spots for Cedi Osman
Before Osman passed on the Lakers training camp invite, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale explained why the Lakers were the top landing spot for him. He started by explaining why Osman’s appeal stems from his efficiency, then explained why the Lakers could use him.
“Over the past three seasons, the 29-year-old is downing more than 57 percent of his twos and 37 percent of his threes. Just seven other players have hit those marks while also draining as many treys as Osman (330): Duncan Robinson, Corey Kispert, Trey Murphy, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, Michael Porter Jr., and Kevin Durant.
“Remove the marquee names from that list, and you’re still looking at a couple of useful NBA players. Osman is worth a roster spot for rotations in need of shot-making from the wing positions,” Favale wrote on August 30. “Enter the Los Angeles Lakers. Exactly none of their wings or combo forwards are considered knockdown shooters. Osman would upgrade their spacing at minimum, and his willingness to move without the ball should fit cleanly within head coach JJ Redick’s (presumed) offensive tenets.”
The Lakers agreed with this notion, but Osman did not want to compete for a roster spot. Now, the Lakers must look at other free agents for training camp invites.
