The rumors surrounding possible moves by the Los Angeles Lakers have begun to ramp up once again with talks of Pau Gasol possibly being traded elsewhere and the Lakers showing interest in veterans Mickael Pietrus and Raja Bell.
Although there’s been no clear indication whether or not the Lakers’ front office intends to make any moves right now, Bell appears to be interested in ultimately landing in Los Angeles to play for former head coach Mike D’Antoni alongside teammate Steve Nash. According to Shams Charania of RealGM.com via Twitter:
Raja Bell’s camp continues to play the waiting game and stresses he’d love to end up w/ #Lakers, but succinct path to L.A. has a ways to go.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 27, 2012
If Bell’s interest in the Lakers turns out to be true, it’ll be an interesting turn of events since in 2010 Bell decided against the Lakers in favor of the Utah Jazz.
Kobe Bryant openly recruited Bell to the Lakers two years ago in an effort to improve the team’s defense and outside shooting. Kobe arranged a meeting with Bell to talk about playing in Los Angeles, but Bell never met face-to-face with the five-time champion before ultimately signing with the Jazz.
Obviously, things didn’t work out in Bell’s favor as he suffered through two disappointing seasons in Utah and is currently asking for a buyout of his contract. Bell has $3.48 million left on his deal with the Jazz.
Last season, Bell averaged 6.4 points per game while shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc in 34 games for the Jazz.
