Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors will get fans excited, as former Lakers great, Shaquille O’Neal, makes a bold prediction for free agency this summer.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors are beginning to swirl as the team prepares for the offseason. The 2018 NBA Draft will provide the Lakers a chance to add to their young core. Los Angeles owns the No. 25 and No. 47 overall pick.
Where they will really look to make improvements is in free agency in July. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka will be looking to add max contract talent to their budding young core.
This offseason, there are two players the Lakers will target for max contracts; Paul George and LeBron James. Los Angeles is also considered a wildcard team for center DeMarcus Cousins. There have also been rampant rumors about Kawhi Leonard, who reportedly wants to play in Los Angeles.
The Lakers won’t have too much control over the Leonard situation. He is under contract with the San Antonio Spurs still, and they reportedly don’t want to trade him to Los Angeles. Instead, the Lakers will probably put their focus on free agency.
Los Angeles has cleared enough cap space to make a run at one max free agent. There are moves that can be made to make enough room for a second. Some people believe the Lakers will get that done. One of those people is former Lakers legend, Shaquille O’Neal.
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Recently, on his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, he made a bold prediction for free agency. Shaq said he believed not only George, but James also, and more help in the future, will be signing with the Lakers.
"“I think Paul George … He’s definitely going to the Lakers. Him and LeBron. You heard it here first. I’m gonna say this is just my opinion, LeBron, Paul George and there will be a couple of other big names that go to the Lakers organization.”"
It needs to be noted that this isn’t a report from Shaq. He is simply sharing his opinion on the matter, not reporting something that he heard from sources around the league.
It is anyone’s guess who the other big names will be, but that is a bold statement by O’Neal. However, if this does happen, all of the moves that Johnson and Pelinka have made leading up to this point were worth it.
People questioned their trade with the Brooklyn Nets to shed Timofey Mozgov‘s contract, as it cost the team, D’Angelo Russell. However, it seems the combination of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart, who were all selected in the 2017 NBA Draft and made possible from the Nets trade, more than makes up for Russell.
Lakers fans are hoping that Shaq’s prediction comes through. It would immediately catapult them higher in the Western Conference and make them an even more attractive landing spot in free agency.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers Ultimate Guide to 2018 Offseason
This summer is an important one for the Lakers. How they fare in free agency will impact the organization for years to come.