Lakers Rumors: Darren Collison considers a return to Lakers or Clippers
By Ronald Agers
Lakers rumors will name a few players, but Lake Show Life places their bets on this guy.
Now that we know that the Lakers have to free up a roster spot to add Collison, let’s take a look at some of the candidates that the Lakers rumors that will float around for the next few weeks and reality.
DeMarcus Cousins:
Sure, you just read that Cousins will not be traded. That will be a Lakers rumor. Here’s the reality.
Most will declare that DeMarcus Cousins will get the ax, considering that he’s likely out for the year. Those folks are dead wrong.
The media may have portrayed Cousins as a malcontent, but throughout his career, his teammates absolutely love him. Darren Collison is one of them. Cousins actually made the list of players that Collison thanked in his retirement letter. Cousins was specifically mentioned with Collison writing these words.
"“I either have a close relationship with those that I have mentioned or they inspired me to work harder.”"
Collison and Cousins were teammates for three seasons in Sacramento. Now couple that relationship with Cousins’ close friendships with Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Rajon Rondo.
Speaking of Rajon Rondo, let’s get this out-of-the-way.
Rajon Rondo:
Rajon Rondo will be the name of choice among Lakers fans to be traded, released, sent home, etc. Lake Show Life has something to say to those fans. Tough. Now it’s a good time to lay out how locker room politics work in the NBA.
Rondo would not be traded even if he didn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract (Which he does!). Why? Because Rondo is tight with James, Davis and Cousins, and played one season with Collison in Sacramento. Both Collison and Rondo (Let’s throw Avery Bradley in there shall we?) are also represented by Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management.
It’s not in Duffy’s best interest professionally or financially to negotiate a formal release of one of his clients for another. Finally, the Lakers reportedly swear by Rondo’s presence in the locker room and on the floor. Then there’s the “Playoff Rondo” thing.
Quinn Cook:
Quinn Cook will be brought up, but he has a two-year deal is one of three tradeable contracts the Lakers have along with Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green. Smart money is the Lakers wait to see if they need his contract for a potential deal to match salaries.
Jared Dudley:
He’s happy being a veteran presence that sits at the end of the bench and is cool with it. NBA teams need that more than most would think. The player that would be cut is a guy that is about out of the rotation for the season but it is not Dudley.
Troy Daniels:
There were actual comments on this site that Troy Daniels would be a steal for the Lakers because he’s a 3-point shooter. Sometimes these predictions are laughable.
Daniels was a specialist on a Phoenix Suns team that won 19 games last year. At least Quinn Cook was on a championship team and actually saw the floor during the playoffs.
Daniels, who is on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal and has mostly fallen out of the rotation based on his poor shooting slump is the odds on favorite to be released. Defense? Hornets announcer compared his defense to a turnstile.
Sure Darren Collison played for Frank Vogel with the Pacers, but as long as we’re talking about relationships, let’s take this across the hall of the Staples Center. He’s already played for Doc Rivers and the Clippers before, so it’s not like the Lakers don’t have things to consider.