Are The Lakers Signing Tyler Johnson?
Are the Lakers signing Tyler Johnson?
The two Los Angeles basketball teams battled it out before the trade deadline.
Both the Lakers and Clippers wanted to trade for Marcus Morris, and ultimately the latter squad emerged victorious.
Lakers fans told themselves that it was okay, because the asking price for Morris was too high.
The New York Knicks were reportedly unwilling to do the deal if Kyle Kuzma was not involved.
In the direct aftermath, the Lakers signaled that they were going to make a hard push for retired NBA point guard Darren Collison.
A former UCLA star, Collison was said to have interest in returning to play for one of the two LA teams. Individuals close to him expressed that he was leaning towards the Lakers, rather than the Clippers.
Unfortunately, that did not work out for the Lakers either.
Collison ultimately decided to stay retired.
On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated NBA insider Chris Mannix reported that the Lakers may not be turning their sights to Tyler Johnson.
“Tyler Johnson is out there, with the Lakers and Clippers expected to check in with him,” he wrote.
Johnson would provide the Lakers with some much-needed backcourt depth, but it remains to be seen how effective he would truly be.
The 27-year-old did not get much playing time with the Phoenix Suns this past season. On the year, he averaged 5.7 points and 1.6 assists in just under 17 minutes per outing.
Johnson may be a good value pick up, though. Before this year, over the course of the last three seasons, he averaged 12 points and nearly 3 assists per outing.
If the Lakers are desperate for back court support and are low on options, they could do a lot worse than signing Johnson.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
