LOS ANGELES – After the NBA trade deadline came and went, the Los Angeles Lakers' roster looked the same. General manager Rob Pelinka and the team's front office decided against making a move to shake things up and potentially improve the squad for what could be a championship run.
Although the Lakers didn't make a trade on Thursday, the team played host to an interesting visitor at Staples Center while they faced off against James Harden's Houston Rockets. Free-agent guard Darren Collison was in attendance as a guest of team owner Jeanie Buss. He created a lot of buzz as he was seen behind the scenes talking with Buss and Kurt Rambis and then in the front row with an appearance on the big screen at center court.
With Collison causing a stir and making many believe he may be favoring the Lakers over the Los Angeles Clippers, LeBron James was asked about a surprise appearance by the free agent amid all the speculation of him coming out of retirement to sign with one of the two teams in Los Angeles.
“I don't know,” LeBron said. “I don't like talking fantasy basketball. I've never been one to talk fantasy basketball. We'll see what happens, but I really don't have too much to comment on that.”
In typical fashion, LeBron didn't make a big deal about Collison showing up to the game and sitting with Buss right across from the Lakers' bench. The three-time NBA champion doesn't seem to feel as if his team needs to make a move considering the fact they've played well all season long and still sit atop the Western Conference.
However, the Collison speculation will continue until he decides to sign with the Lakers or Clippers or remain retired. He'll remain a hot commodity on the open market with two of the top teams in the league vying for his services heading into the final stretch of the season after the NBA All-Star break.
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