The Los Angeles Lakers stood pat at the trade deadline, opting to put all their eggs in the buyout basket rather than give up on Kyle Kuzma in a trade.
The player they have had their eyes set on for some time is Darren Collison. The veteran point guard announced his retirement in the off-season but has reportedly been gearing up for a return to the league with the Lakers and Clippers listed as his primary suitors.
Collison, however, may not be totally sold on that return. On ESPN’s The Jump, former NBA and Lakers player Matt Barnes revealed that Collison had sent him a text saying he was still “50-50” on returning from retirement.
That sort of indecision is perhaps expected but the Lakers are counting on finding a playmaker in the buyout market and Collison would probably be the top choice in that department despite having not played basketball this season.
Should Collison go through with his plan to un-retire, the Lakers have recently been rumored to be his preferred LA destination. The Clippers just traded for Marcus Morris but they have several open roster spots to fill up with free agents.
The Lakers have also been linked to free agent J.R. Smith who, like Collison, has not played this year.
If Collison does not return to basketball, guards like Trey Burke and Tim Frazier could be of interest to the Lakers although nothing has been reported connecting them to the franchise, yet.
