Lakers Reportedly Interested in Bringing Back $80M Star

The Lakers are reportedly interested in bringing back a former star.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of the more active teams ahead of the upcoming NBA trade deadline. The team has been a bit inconsistent on the court and it has led many to believe that another deal could be made.

Los Angeles has already traded for veteran wing Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton but the team may want more. For the Lakers to truly contend in the Western Conference, another addition will likely be needed.

The Lakers have been linked to many players ahead of the trade deadline but it seems that they could be interested in a reunion. According to NBA insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic, former Lakers guard Lonzo Ball could be on the radar of Los Angeles.

"I think Lonzo is someone that's going to be on their radar, and I think depending on the price if you could get him for a second or two seconds, I think that's an interesting swing, and also someone with that 6'6" frame that could potentially I think be similar to Bruce Brown, check a couple boxes...he's bulked up a little bit throughout his career, so he can guard twos and even some smaller threes and potentially be part of a one-through-three switching scheme. And then offensively I think especially coming off the bench as a secondary ball-handler, playmaker and also a spot-up shooter, I think he's someone who's an interesting gamble for them."

Adding Ball to the table could be interesting as he could give them another play-making guard. Since the team traded guard D'Angelo Russell, the team has missed having a full-time ball-handler on the court.

Ball could add play-making and would give this team more size on the floor. Additionally, Ball will be a free agent at the end of the season and that could potentially free up some salary cap space for the Lakers.

For the season, Ball has averaged 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Ball has only played in 23 games for the Chicago Bulls due to injury recovery but he could be someone to help this team down the line.

Los Angeles could always look to retain the point guard after the season if things were to go well in a potential reunion. Ball is still only 27 years old so his prime could still be hit.

This is just one scenario for the Lakers but one that could be very interesting. Ball has multiple ties to the organization and could be a fun addition to Los Angeles.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.