LA Lakers rumors roundup: Analysts believe team should target Will Barton in buyout market, concerning report comes out regarding D'Angelo Russell, and more
Multiple LA Lakers writers have asserted that the team should target recently bought-out 11-year veteran wing Will Barton in the buyout market.
In other news, the Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly had no interest in re-signing combo guard D’Angelo Russell before trading him to LA.
On that note, here are the latest rumors surrounding the LA Lakers as of February 23, 2023.
Analysts believe LA Lakers should target Will Barton
Will Barton finalized a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran is now free to sign with a playoff contender before the March 1 deadline for players to remain playoff eligible.
Barton struggled with inefficiency during his lone season in Washington. However, he has still proven to be a valuable wing scorer for the Denver Nuggets in the past. This is why many Lakers writers, including Jason Reed of Lake Show Life, believe LA should target Barton.
“While he is not a traditional small forward (which is what the Lakers lack), he can still provide minutes at the wing as he is not another undersized guard. At six-foot-six, he can more than hold his own as the three in a lineup,” Reed nba-rumors-lakers-buyout-target-will-barton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">wrote.
“The former Portland Trail Blazer and Denver Nugget does not have massive amounts of playoff experience but he has been in big spots. Barton has played in 29 playoff games and as seen in the clip above, has shown that he can hit a big shot in a big moment."
In 40 games for Washington, Barton, aged 32, averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on just 38.7% shooting. Barton has career averages of 11.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.7 spg and 1.3 3pg while shooting 43.1% and 35.5% from deep.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will ultimately pursue Barton following their flurry of moves at the trade deadline.
Timberwolves had no interest in re-signing D’Angelo Russell
The LA Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of the trade deadline in a three-team deal involving Utah. Russell has since performed pretty well in three games for LA. However, a recent report from Darren Wolfson on the “The Scoop w/ Doogie” podcast shed some concerning light on why Russell was so readily available:
“Now that Russell is gone, he’s in LA, just know this: Tim Connelly never wanted to extend the impending free agent,” Wolfson reported.
Most would agree that Russell is a talented offensive player. However, his shot selection and defensive efforts have come into question in the past. This was likely a big reason why Minnesota was ready to move on from him.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will experience similar issues with Russell moving forward. But so far so good for Russell during his second stint with LA.
Through three games for the Lakers, Russell is averaging 17.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.7 apg and 2.0 3pg on 45.0% shooting. LA (27-32, 13th in the West) has gone 2-1.
Potential LA Lakers free agent target switches to Klutch Sports Group
Toronto Raptors star point guard Fred VanVleet has long been rumored to be a target for the LA Lakers. VanVleet is expected to decline his $22.8 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. This will provide the Lakers with a potential opportunity to sign him.
Interestingly, VanVleet has reportedly signed with Klutch Sports Group, the agency that Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are represented by. This has only fueled more rumors of VanVleet potentially heading to LA.
Welcome @FredVanVleet! https://t.co/MxFr5mU5Zu
VanVleet is averaging 19.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.6 spg and 3.0 3pg while shooting 39.4% and 34.4% from deep. Despite having a down year efficiency-wise, VanVleet is still a proven NBA champion and was an All-Star just last season. He is also turning just 29 years old later this week. VanVleet could prove to be the missing piece for the Lakers if they don’t get back on track to finish this season.