Following basketball has its own thrills. But in between games, there’s a whole new world to discuss: the rumors swirling around the team and its top players. Here are the rumors surrounding this season.
1. Austin Reaves and Thomas Bryant Might Join Regular Rotation
If you follow player workouts, you might be able to get a glimpse into the development of future NBA stars. Both Thomas Bryant and Austin Reaves have made major strides, and they may well become major players by next season.
Bryant’s promising career was knocked back a bit in 2021 thanks to a torn ACL. He appears to be coming closer to top form, and the additional training time is bringing him closer to being the promising player he was before the injury.
Austin Reaves made tremendous strides last season: he went from essentially being a benchwarmer to being a highly reliable player. For this season, he has reached 209 pounds, and the additional size is sure to make him an even better defensive player. Some speculate he may even have a starting spot next season.
2. Russell Westbrook is Open to a Trade
This is one of the most intriguing Lakers rumors out there. Many fans were convinced the team was going to trade Westbrook, but now it’s looking as though he’ll remain on the roster for the 2022-23 season.
The team’s point guard has clarified that though he hasn’t specifically requested a trade, he is “open” to one. He is reportedly hoping to join a team that will let him be himself. So a trade may well be on the horizon, but it’s not likely to happen immediately. But why? Another rumor theorizes that the Lakers don’t want to lose their first-round picks for the 2027 and 2029 drafts.
3. Lakers Want Bojan Bogdanovic, but They Have Competition
The Lakers currently have a chance to improve their roster by exchanging future draft picks for traded players. Whether they will take advantage of this opportunity remains to be seen. But if they do opt to trade, they are reportedly very interested in Bojan Bogdanovic, the current small forward for the Utah Jazz. Bogdanovic is one of the players the Jazz have made available for trade-in hopes of gaining future draft picks.
However, the Lakers reportedly aren’t the only ones interested in Bogdanovic. The Croatian star is being eyed by a number of other teams including the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Phoenix Suns. If the Lakers do choose to go through with the trade, they would likely trade Rossell Westbrook for Bogdanovic.
4. Ratings for NBA 2K23 Have Been Leaked
The ratings for the new season have been leaked ahead of schedule, though most of them aren’t really a surprise. Here are the OVR, 3PT, and DNK ratings for some of the team’s top players:
- LeBron James: OVR 96, 3PT 79, DNK 90
- Anthony Davis: OVR 90, 3PT 70, DNK 88
- Patrick Beverley: OVR 79, 3PT 78, DNK 45
- Russell Westbrook: OVR 78, 3PT 72, DNK 80
- Kendrick Nunn: OVR 78, 3PT 81, DNK 75
- Thomas Bryant: OVR 76, 3PT 70, DNK 65
LeBron James’s overall rating is especially impressive, as there’s only one player in the league with a higher OVR: Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo has an OVR of 97.
5. Celtics Probably Won’t Sign Carmelo Anthony Before Training Camp
Former Laker Carmelo Anthony is now a free agent, and recent buzz suggested that the Celtics just might be interested in signing him. Unidentified insider sources have asserted that the Celtics currently aren’t making recruiting him a priority and that signing Anthony before training camp begins is highly unlikely.
Rather, the Celtics seem much more focused on internal replacements. That isn’t to say that signing Anthony is out of the picture, but they seem to want to look internally before looking into free agents.
Conclusion
While you can’t really take the rumors surrounding the Lakers as gospel truth, they’re certainly fun to speculate about! Only time will tell which ones are true and which ones are all talk.