The news coming out of Lakerland over the past week or so has quite a few NBA free agents and players around the league linked to potential signings and trades involving the Los Angeles Lakers. One of the more recent players linked to the Lakers is Kenyon Martin.
Fresh out of China, veteran forward Kenyon Martin has been rumored to be a target for the Lakers when he becomes officially available later this month. There are plenty of other teams in the mix for K-Mart, but the Lakers could be appealing to the versatile forward as he might ultimately land a starting job at small forward in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, the Lakers might not be able to top an offer to Kenyon Martin from other interested teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks. With the Lakers being strapped for cash and only able to offer the veteran minimum (prorated), Kenyon Martin could sign with one of the other five teams for a bigger paycheck and potentially more minutes on the floor.
If Kenyon Martin does sign with another team, a solid backup plan for the Lakeshow could be retired forward Rasheed Wallace. According to a league source, Wallace contacted the Los Angeles Lakers a few weeks ago about making a comeback.
Ironically enough, Rasheed Wallace’s last game in the NBA was with the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 the 2010 NBA Finals. That loss was enough to convince Wallace to hang them up, but he seems open to a return to the NBA and the Lakers could be a good option for what was once one of the best forwards in the game.
There is no telling whether or not Rasheed Wallace is in game shape or has anything left in the tank, but if he does the veteran forward might be a welcome addition to the Lakers bench. It is no secret that Wallace comes with his fair share of baggage, but that didn’t stop them from signing Metta World Peace a few years ago.
In his 15 years in the NBA, Rasheed Wallace averaged 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while playing for five different teams including the Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics.
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