The Los Angeles Lakers figure to be big players in free agency and the buyout market between now and the 2020 NBA playoffs.
One of the players the Lakers will be in the heaviest pursuit of is Darren Collison, who shockingly retired in the 2019 NBA offseason and is now weighing a possible comeback.
Collison is still undecided about a return but if he does want to come back, he’ll likely be deciding between the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. Between the two teams, the Lakers absolutely need him more as they’ve been looking into a backup point guard for months now.
Lakers fans don’t need to be on the edge of their seat though as Collison won’t be making any decisions until after the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend, according to Broderick Turner of Los Angeles Times:
The plan is for Collison to meet with his representatives sometime next week, but he’s not expected to make a decision until after the All-Star game, which is Feb. 16 in Chicago.
The Lakers have already been in recruitment mode as Collison has attended a game with owner Jeanie Buss while he and Anthony Davis reportedly spoke after the news of his potential return broke:
When word began to circulate recently that Collison had been working out and was interested in playing again in the NBA, Lakers forward Anthony Davis and Collison had a talk about his plans and how Los Angeles might fit into those, according to people who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Getting Collison would absolutely be a game-changer for the Lakers as they are in desperate need of someone who can run the offense when James is off the floor.
In fact, Rajon Rondo — the team’s current player in this role — is the only one on the team who yields a negative net rating when sharing the floor with James and Davis. Collison replacing him in the rotation would do wonders for the Lakers.
There won’t be any official news of a Collison decision for a little while but hopefully when the time comes to decide, he’ll want to put on the purple and gold.
