The Los Angeles Lakers may already have a vastly-improved roster for the coming season, but what many do not know was that they were planning something else bigger earlier in the summer, which could pay dividends for them next year.
With a need for a veteran shooting guard, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported recently that the team was interested in making a move for Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade, especially after Jimmy Butler was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“After Dwyane Wade opted back into his contract for this year and then Jimmy Butler got traded, and Dwyane was trying to figure out are we going to go forward together here in Chicago. The Lakers had interest if Chicago was willing to potentially trade him or if Dwyane got a buyout in Chicago, the Lakers absolutely would’ve had an interest in signing him.”
While his potential addition to the Lakers may be seen as a step back from their youth movement, it would’ve been an important move for them as it would set the stage for their pitch to LeBron James next summer, in the hopes of persuading him to bring his talents to Los Angeles.
Although he is now 35 years old, Wade proved last season that he is still a very dangerous player with averages of 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He was a big reason why the Bulls were able to turn their fortunes in the second half of the season, resulting to a postseason berth.
Now that the Lakers have signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the chances of landing Wade is now close to zero. But the message became more clear — Los Angeles is waiting for The King.
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