After the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent guard Jodie Meeks, the consensus was that the front office was done in free agency and would concentrate on signing rookies Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom.
As expected, the Lakers’ front office did just that by bringing in a few extra bodies for training camp with the additions of Reeves Nelson and Greg Somogyi while signing Sacre. With these moves, the Lakers appeared to be done with only Johnson-Odom left to be signed.
Reportedly, that may not be the case with free agent Leandro Barbosa still talking to the team according to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com via Twitter:
Leandro Barbosa tells @balanacesta that he’s talking with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns: tinyurl.com/8zkx9ld
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) September 11, 2012
With little space and playing time left on the Lakers roster, it’s uncertain how interested Barbosa may be in terms of signing with Los Angeles. Apparently, no team is eager to sign the former Sixth Man of the Year and that puts him in a tough situation as he may have to resort to a role that the Lakers will provide.
One perk of signing with the Lakers is proving his worth to the team next season. If Barbosa can prove to be a force off the bench in the backcourt at point guard and or shooting guard, Lakers Coach Mike Brown might get him more involved with an increase in minutes. If signed, Barbosa would be competing with quite a few players in the backcourt for playing time.
One reason the team might be leaning towards signing the Brazilian is his ties with Steve Nash. According to Kennedy, Nash has been recruiting Barbosa:
Leandro Barbosa told @balanacesta that talks with the Lakers cooled once LA signed Jodie Meeks. However, Steve Nash has been recruiting him.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) September 11, 2012
It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Lakers ultimately offer Barbosa a deal. The offer will most likely be one year for the veteran’s minimum. If Barbosa does sign, there’s a good chance players like Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris or Darius Johnson-Odom might end up being sent down to the D-League for the majority of the upcoming season.
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In case you missed it – Dwight Howard talks about starting over in Los Angeles.
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