Larry Sanders was a rising star for the Milwaukee Bucks before his sudden retirement at the age of 26 in 2015. The big man decided to step away from the NBA at a young age as he was battling depression and anxiety, but he may be mulling a return to basketball after his brief absence.
Sanders has been flirting with a return to the NBA for some time now, and he has told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that he is mentally stable enough to handle the daily grind of a professional basketball player:
“I feel like I’m in a much better place right now and I’m equipped to be able to put myself in that situation again.”
Before he retired, Sanders was averaging seven points and six rebounds per game, but his value extended beyond the stat sheet. The big man always played with heart and hustle and impacted the game with his effort and energy on both ends of the floor, which makes him a valuable asset to any team.
However, even if Sanders does make a return to the league, there is one burning question: Which team will he play for? The free agent big man was wondering the same thing, so he took to Twitter to see what his followers thought would be the best fit.
Interestingly enough, Sanders included the Los Angeles Lakers on his list of potential destinations:
Which team do you believe will utilize my skills the best??
— Dr. Larry Sanders II (@l8show_thegoat) July 25, 2016
Which team do you believe will utilize my skills the best???
— Dr. Larry Sanders II (@l8show_thegoat) July 25, 2016
It remains unclear whether or not the Lakers would be interested in Sanders’ service after they locked up Timofey Mozgov for four years and have drafted a promising big man in Ivica Zubac to place alongside Tarik Black on the bench. The Lakers only have one roster spot to fill this offseason. Will Sanders be the last piece?