LA Lakers Rumors: Kobe Bryant, LaMarcus Aldridge Don’t Get Along – Lakers Free Agent Options Disappearing Fast
The LA Lakers were the first team to meet with LaMarcus Aldridge as 2015 NBA free agency began, but that doesn’t always mean good news. Apparently, the red carpet was laid out for Aldridge, but he wasn’t impressed with their basketball presentation and “didn’t gel” with Kobe Bryant. With that loss, the Lakers already seem to be running out of options less than 24 hours into this year’s free agency.
When the Los Angeles Lakers met with Aldridge, they had everyone important there that needed to be there. Unfortunately, the 30-year-old star really wasn’t impressed with what was rolled out for him.
Lakers didn’t make strong impression in Aldridge meeting, sources say. Spurs can close on him. LMA expected to make decision fairly soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2015
There have been many assumptions as to why the Lakers didn’t win over Aldridge, but Yahoo Sports thinks they lost him by merely “being the Lakers.” They may have said that it went well, but everyone else said differently.
As Wednesday went on, SB Nation reported that Aldridge even told the Lakers that he would not be signing a contract with them. It appears he just wasn’t happy with the Lakers being “too focused” on Aldridge’s off-court opportunities over basketball.
There were a number of other problems on Wednesday for the Lakers too. Aldridge wasn’t the only bump in the road.
Both Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert had agreed to deals to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers and took them out of the free agency market. The Lakers were rumored to have had interest in both of them, but the Cavs quickly got them back.
The LA Lakers did meet with Greg Monroe of the Detroit Pistons, and apparently, there was a “good exchange of ideas.” When Monroe left town though, he had not been offered a maximum salaried contract.
Tyson Chandler is also off of the free agent market as he was offered a four-year deal worth $52 million from the Phoenix Suns, and it was accepted. There goes another big man that they won’t get into the Laker yellow either.
Now, they may keep looking at guards such as Dwyane Wade, and may have to take whomever is available to them as Jimmy Butler is off the market now too. A trade that could send Julius Randle or others out of town may also still come into play.
There are still a lot of options out there for the LA Lakers in 2015 NBA free agency, but it appears as if their top choices are already being taken away. If they don’t act fast and do better to impress visitors than they did with LaMarcus Aldridge, then they could really miss out.
[Image via Getty Images – Sam Forencich]
