With only 21 games left in the 2013-14 NBA season, the end is drawing near for arguably one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Along with the Lakers likely to have a top five pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Mitch Kupchak and company will have a lot of tough decisions to make in free agency this summer. The majority of the players on the current roster will become unrestricted free agents with uncertain futures.
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At this point in time, there’s no telling which players will be retained, but Wesley Johnson has made it clear that he wants to return according to Mark Medina of L.A. Daily News:
“I want to come back,” Johnson told this newspaper. “Hopefully they feel the same way. I’ll have to continue to prove myself and show I can play hard.”
Johnson has had somewhat of an up and down season. The former lottery pick got off to a good start with the Lakers, but has been inconsistent despite showing signs of promise along the way.
Johnson hopes he’s shown enough to secure his long-term future with the Lakers according to Medina:
“Hopefully it’s a long-term thing,” Johnson said. “But we’ll have to see what happens with what the front office decides and how they move around things. I would like to be here.”
As of right now, Johnson may be in the team’s plans this summer, but it remains to be seen if they’re willing to keep him around long-term.
Johnson will turn 27-years-old in July and still has a lot of basketball left in him. That might appeal to Kupchak with options limited in free agency this summer.
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