Recent Lakers rumors have been surrounding their interest in guard Dion Waiters. As he gets closer to a decision, are the Lakers still a possibility.
Despite not being willing to spend big in free agency this offseason, there have been plenty of Lakers rumors since free agency started.
For the Lakers this offseason, their plan has been to keep as much cap space as possible for some of the big name free agents next offseason. With the organization only willing to give one-year deals to players, it has certainly limited what they can accomplish when pursuing free agents.
The team recently expressed an interest in point guard George Hill. However, he ended up signing a three-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. As a talented player, Hill coming to the Lakers on a one-year deal seemed like a long-shot.
Now, the Lakers appear to have turned their focus to guard Dion Waiters. As a former top 5 pick in the NBA Draft, Waiters had arguably his best season last year with the Miami Heat. Last season, Waiters averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. When the Heat went on a tear toward the end of the season, it was helped in part by Waiters playing some excellent basketball.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Waiters is getting closer to making his decision.
Free agent Dion Waiters inching closer to resolution, considering Miami, New York and Lakers, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017
After meeting with the Lakers, Heat, and New York Knicks, it appears that Waiters has narrowed it down to those three teams. However, it is once again surprising to see the Lakers being a possibility for Waiters.
After bouncing around a bit early in his career, Waiters would likely like to sign a multi-year deal to have a chance of some stability. In all likelihood, the Lakers are not offering Waiters more than a one-year deal with their plan to have a lot of cap space for next offseason.
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Due to general manager Rob Pelinka being Waiters’ former agent, that is likely keeping the Lakers in the conversation. However, it would be very surprising to see Waiters come to Los Angeles on just a one-year deal after his strong season.