LA Lakers News Roundup: Shaquille O'Neal takes a dig at 76ers duo being compared to him and Kobe Bryant, salary cap expert doesn’t believe Purple and Gold can re-sign Malik Monk, and more | May 16th, 2022
![LA Lakers legends Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant [Image source Bleacher Report]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/05/579f7-16527102161863-1920.jpg?w=500)
The LA Lakers face some uphill challenges this offseason regarding this roster construction. The lack of flexibility, trade assets and draft capital could hamper their hopes of making significant improvements to their side. They will need to engineer a rebuild after a disappointing end to the 2021-22 NBA campaign.
According to a salary cap expert, one player the Lakers may struggle to re-sign is Malik Monk. The former Hornets guard is one of the most reliable shooters and scorers on the team, but LA can only offer him the mid-level exception.
Meanwhile, former LA Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal was in the news again. He took a dig at fans and analysts for comparing Joel Embiid and James Harden to him and Kobe Bryant.
LA Lakers could struggle to bring back Malik Monk in free agency
Malik Monk was one of the biggest revelations for the LA Lakers this year. The guard averaged 13.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. He shot 47% from the floor, including 39% from 3-point range.
Monk's contributions helped the underperforming Lakers to several wins during the campaign, and they will be keen to bring him back next year.
However, according to Spotrac.com's salary cap expert Keith Smith, the Lakers may not be able to re-sign him. Here's what Smith stated in his most recent report:
"Don’t expect the Lakers to get any sort of steal with Malik Monk this offseason. He’s one of the best shooters available and at just 24 years old, Monk will likely command more than LA can offer him."
Malik Monk dropped a career-high 41 points in the season finale. 🔥 https://t.co/hjM1N55gKG
Shaquille O'Neal says Kobe Bryant and him are the only 'super duo' to be created
Philadelphia 76ers signing of James Harden via trade earlier this year led to several analysts and fans weighing in with their opinions. They compared his '1-2 punch' with Joel Embiid to LA Lakers legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
However, Embiid and Harden failed to live up to the hype as the Sixers when crashing out of the postseason in the second round once again.
O'Neal took to Instagram to take a dig at those comparisons, captioning his post:
"only one superduo ever created , yea i said it, ONLY ONE. Miss u kobe"
Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant led the LA Lakers to three championship wins in a row between 2000 and 2002. Their tandem was inarguably the best in the NBA over the last two decades.
Video of LeBron James warning Suns to stay humble resurfaces as Phoenix crashes out of playoffs
The Phoenix Suns endured one of the worst Game 7 defeats in the history of the NBA at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Chris Paul and Co. suffered a 120-93 loss at home in a match where they were down by as many as 46 points at one stage.
On the occasion of the Suns' embarrassing exit from the playoffs, an old video of LeBron James lecturing Phoenix guard Cameron Payne resurfaced online.
Here's the clip (via Ahn Fire Digital):
Bron was right https://t.co/zzXb6tos1b
James can be heard telling Payne to "stay humble" in their heated exchange, which was captured during their first meeting of the 2021-22 NBA regular season. The Suns were on their way to a blowout win on the road against LeBron and Co. and were relentlessly trash-talking throughout the contest.