The Los Angeles Lakers plan to acquire one more key player before the start of the upcoming NBA season in October. They’ve now set eyes upon Darius Garland, a young star from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who was implied to be a possible trade target for the Lakers.
So far, the Lakers have yet to acquire a talented baller in the offseason. Despite making promises to obtain promising NBA players crucial in aiding the team’s veterans and supporting cast, it has only notably acquired two league draftees: James’ son Bronny and Dalton Knecht.
Eric Pincus, an insider from the NBA Bleacher Report, had mentioned that the Cavaliers’ Garland could be the Lakers’ closest chance to acquiring a star player. The former Vanderbilt Commodores’ role could be a significant addition to the team’s point guards, notably D’Angelo Russell.
In a recent report at Bleacher, Pincus raised the possibility of the Lakers acquiring Garland and how the team could achieve it:
“The Lakers may avoid the three-star concept, especially given the restrictive new rules and the team’s high payroll, which has bottlenecked its flexibility this summer,” Pincus wrote.
“Still, if Darius Garland became available out of Cleveland, the Lakers would probably offer both of their firsts to the Cavaliers for the young guard. Salary matching would be complex, probably requiring more than one team,” Pincus added.
Garland played for the Cavaliers for five seasons. Last season, he averaged 18.0 points on 44.6% shooting. His team ended up in fourth place and overcame the first round of the playoffs for the first time since James’ departure from the team in 2018.
Despite lingering rumors about his possible trade to the Lakers, the 2022 NBA All-Star persisted that he would stay and play more games for his current team. He denied that he sought to switch teams.
“Those are just rumors. I don’t want to be traded,” Garland said.
Los Angeles Lakers had officially signed with Christian Koloko
The Los Angeles Lakers recently signed former Toronto Raptors rookie Christian Koloko on a two-way contract.
In exchange, the team waived Blake Hinson to give Koloko his two-way slot. As of the latest transaction, the Los Angeles Lakers have two other players on a two-way contract: Colin Castleton and Armel Traore.
Koloko, a 7’1 giant from Cameroon, was unfortunately out of the NBA throughout the past season due to blood clot issues.
In January, the Raptors waived him, and he was without a team until he was medically cleared and free to play.
Koloko’s arrival with the Lakers could give the team a center advantage, as he plays often in the upcoming season.
