Last season, one of the unsung heroes for the Los Angeles Lakers was big man Maxi Kleber. While he was never really part of the regular rotation, head coach JJ Redick regularly turned to Kleber when the team was dealing with injuries or just needed a boost and more often than not he came through.
Kleber is one of many players who hit free agency but won’t be returning to the Lakers this season, though he may remain linked to the team and specifically, superstar Luka Doncic. The Lakers guard recently co-founded BC Roma, a European team based in Rome and set for it’s first season in Italy’s top basketball league. And the team is reportedly considering signing Kleber, via NBA insider Marc Stein:
League sources say that BC Roma, recently co-founded by Donnie Nelson and Luka Doncic and embarking on its first top-flight season in Italy in hopes of emerging as the Rome entry in NBA Europe, has explored the prospect of signing Kleber after the German forward spent the past nine seasons in the NBA … including the last season and a half alongside Doncic with the Lakers.
The move would make sense for both sides if Kleber isn’t receiving much interest from other NBA teams and desires a return to European basketball. Kleber has plenty of experience playing in Europe, having begun his pro career in his home country of Germany, and would surely be a great addition to the BC Roma squad.
Additionally, he obviously has a great relationship with both Doncic, being his teammate on the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He also had a relationship with BC Roma co-founder Donnie Nelson, who was President of Basketball Operations for the Mavericks and signed Kleber in 2017.
The hope for Doncic with this team is that it will be the Rome entry for the NBA Europe league and adding a familiar face and trusted veteran in Kleber would seem to be an ideal move.
Jaden Hardy is ‘super excited’ to play with Luka Doncic again
Another former teammate of Doncic with the Mavericks who is now his teammate on the Lakers is guard Jaden Hardy, who the team acquired this offseason via trade. Hardy was Doncic’s teammate for nearly three seasons in Dallas and now that he is back with him in Los Angeles, he is super excited to be able to play alongside Doncic once again in purple and gold.
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