The Los Angeles Lakers have a floor general in backup point guard Rajon Rondo, but as a team with championship aspirations, it surely wouldn’t hurt to add a point guard who can shoot well and facilitate.
Darren Collison could potentially be that quality shooter for the Lakers. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Collison is thinking about coming out of retirement in February. Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are his top destinations.
Collison, who played 10 seasons, retired from the NBA last June, writing about his decision to focus on his faith and family in The Undefeated.
Last summer Collison was going to be a free agent, and as a solid lead guard, he would have had suitors. According to Wojnarowski, Collison could have had deals potentially be “in the neighborhood of $10 million-plus a season.”
Story filed to ESPN: After a stunning retirement prior to free agency, veteran guard Darren Collison is considering a February return to the NBA – with the Lakers and Clippers emerging as his two preferred destinations.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 1, 2020
Collison played with the Indiana Pacers the past two seasons, and last season he averaged 11.2 points per game and a career-high 6.0 assists.
During the 2017-18 season, he shot a career-high 46.8% from the 3-point line, ranking first in the NBA for 3-point percentage. Collison is a career 39.4% 3-point shooter.
Collison’s shooting would be beneficial for the Lakers, a team that needs more buckets off the bench. Rondo has improved as a shooter — he’s shooting a career-high 39.3% from deep this season. But his best strength is facilitating and running the offense. If the Lakers signed Collison, they could stagger him with Rondo and have a solid guard rotation.
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