The Los Angeles Lakers experienced another offseason full of roster turnover as they parted ways with most of last year’s rotation in lieu of adding veteran help that is used to playing in high-stakes games.
The Lakers brought back Rajon Rondo after he was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies and they are reportedly going to sign DeAndre Jordan as well after he clears waivers after being traded to and waived by the Detroit Pistons. Rondo and Jordan add to the collective age of the roster and NBA figures like George Karl have already gotten their jokes in before the start of the 2021-22 season.
The Lakers remain the steady favorite to win the Western Conference and second behind the New Jersey Nets to win the NBA Championship, with sportsbook Casumo offering the latest odds at +350, unchanged despite all the recent roster moves.
Rondo and Jordan will be joining forces with former stars in Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, who figure to have prominent bench roles throughout the year. Anthony has long been a target for the Lakers and he already feels the difference wearing the jersey, via the Lakers’ official Twitter:
Different in these colors ???????? pic.twitter.com/UgRCsZZpjD
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 3, 2021
Howard expressed the same sentiment on his Instagram account:
View this post on Instagram
It is surreal to see Anthony in Laker’s colors after all these years, but the forward seems ready to contribute to the league’s most iconic franchise. Meanwhile, Howard looks ready for his third go-around with the team and should be a major contributor when the games begin.
The fact that two of the greatest players ever understand the significance of playing for a historic franchise like the Lakers is really cool and should resonate throughout the locker room this season as they look to win the organization’s 18th championship.
Dwight Howard opens up about lessons learned with Lakers
Howard has learned some lessons the hard way throughout his NBA journey and he opened up about what he took away from his first two stints with the Lakers. “Stay in the moment, always,” Howard said. “Always stay in the moment and two, always stay positive. You never know what life is gonna throw your way so instead of complaining, instead of being upset about it, just staying positive and knowing that everything is always gonna be OK. Everything is gonna work itself out.
“So those are the two things that I’ve always kept with me and never taken things too personally. I know a lot of people were saying the Lakers shouldn’t have done this last year or this shouldn’t have happened, but it’s always love. We understand that this is a business, it’s very upsetting at first not being able to come back and return last season, but everything happens the way it’s supposed to happen and instead of getting upset and going crazy, I stayed positive and stayed happy and look, I’m back here with the LakeShow. So those are my two biggest lessons, staying in the moment and always staying positive.”
