The Los Angeles Lakers have had struggles drawing marquee free agents over the last several summers for a few reasons. During that time period, the team has fielded some of its worst rosters in franchise history while playing the worst defense in the NBA, and therefore its play on the court hasn’t exactly screamed “worth joining” to prospective free agent signings.
The Lakers have also been a young team, and while that type of potential is exciting for fans, players that aren’t 100 percent ready and developed to win aren’t that enticing to veterans who are looking to put themselves in position for a championship.
Those were all understandable reasons to pass on joining the Lakers. Apparently not included among them was getting to play in Los Angeles and Staples Center, which Golden State Warriors listed among his favorite places to play in the NBA during a Q&A on his YouTube channel:
“Favorite cities to play in are Washington D.C., obviously I’m from there. Phoenix has always been a fun city to play at, I’ve had some of my best games there. Obviously, it’s fun to play at Staples Center no matter if it’s Clippers or Lakers. That’s just to name a few.”
It’s important to note that Durant’s answer probably isn’t some indication he wants to join the Lakers. Even if he recently noted that he’s been watching the team closely since Luke Walton took over as head coach.
Still, the Lakers are finally showing the full potential of their promising young roster, playing better defense than anyone expected and looking like they’re one or two pieces away from becoming a threat in the Western Conference.
With the city of Los Angeles and a fun arena to play in as additional benefits they can pitch, they might finally be set for free agency success during the summer of 2018.
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