With plenty speculation heading toward the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers appeared ready to pull the trigger on multiple deals. Although it seems as though the Lakers were prepared to clean house, only one deal was made with Steve Blake being dealt to the Golden State Warriors.
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As a result of the trade, the Lakers acquired Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. Both are promising young players, but many believed they were only half-season rentals.
According to Jeff Caplan of NBA.com, Bazemore is sold on staying with the Lakers long-term. Bazemore said the following about the prospect of staying in Los Angeles while playing alongside Kobe Bryant:
Shoot, that would be a dream come true, and with the track record he has, the body of work he has, I would be all ears. For a guy who’s been through everything he’s been through, playing half of his life in this league, winning multiple championships, why not listen? If I got to go against him every day, I know I’m not cheating myself, so I would look forward to it. In all honesty, I don’t think he’s that tough to play with. If he demands a lot, he just wants to be great. You can’t really knock that.
With the Lakers in rebuild mode heading into this summer, Bazemore returning next season is a likely scenario. It remains to be seen what moves will be made in the off-season as it appears the Lakers will focus on the free-agent class of 2015 rather than going all-out this summer, but Bazemore being retained is a possibility.
As for Brooks, there’s been no indication if the guard wants to return or if the Lakers are interested in keeping him.
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