Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that, “The Lakers have tried unsuccessfully for several weeks to trade bench players to create roster space.” In his article, Wojnarowski points to Raja Bell as a target for Los Angeles, while Marc J. Spears (also of Yahoo! Sports) reported via Twitter that free agent Mickael Pietrus is another player the Lakers are looking at.
Add Mickael Pietrus to list of FA guards @lakers inquired about recently,source tells Y! @wojyahoonba reported LAL interest in Raja Bell,too
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 24, 2012 The Lakers bench is currently producing 20.8 points per game, which ranks 28th in the NBA. With an aging roster and a fast-paced offense, L.A. will need to turn to its bench often this season, and right now, that is worrisome.
With 15 players on its roster, the team must unload some of its current members in order to have the option for change.
D’Antoni’s offense needs wing players who can run the court and shoot efficiently from behind the three-point line. If a player like this could also contribute defensively, that is certainly an added benefit.
Both Bell and Pietrus can hit three-point shots and play defense, making them smart targets for the Lakers.
Bell would be the better prospect, given his history with D’Antoni. In each of his three seasons under the new Lakers head coach, he shot more than five three-pointers per game and connected on over 40 percent of those attempts.
His tenacity on defense is well-known to Lakers fans due to his history with questionable tactics when guarding Kobe Bryant. This may cause concern over chemistry, but Bryant&rsquo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
