LA Lakers Rumors Roundup: Purple and Gold still considering John Wall, Pacers weren't satisfied with Lakers' offer for Malcolm Brogdon, and more

The LA Lakers still have John Wall on their radar but not through a direct trade with Russell Westbrook. If a buyout is possible, the Houston Rockets point guard could be in Hollywood next season.

Malcolm Brogdon of the Indiana Pacers was reportedly the target of Lakers GM Rob Pelinka for a trade. LA supposedly offered Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker and a first-round pick but was snubbed by the Pacers.

After purchasing the 35th pick of the Orlando Magic, the Purple and Gold franchise looked to have another opportunity to draft another second-rounder. The LA Lakers eventually gave up on that idea and settled for Max Christie as their only drafted player.

Here are the latest rumors involving the LA Lakers:

The LA Lakers could still go after John Wall via buyout market

The Houston Rockets could negotiatite John Wall to buy out his contract. [Photo: The Washington Post]

Over the past several months, rumors linking John Wall with the LA Lakers have been a consistent theme. LA asked about the Houston Rockets point guard back in February but was rebuffed. Houston was unwilling to move the 31-year-old as the Lakers refused to attach a first-round pick.

With Wall opting into his massive $47.7 million player option, the Houston Rockets could propose a buyout agreement with the five-time All-Star. Marc Stein provided all the details in his Substack piece on how both parties can move forward.

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Wall sat out last season while the Houston Rockets prioritized the development of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. The former Washington Wizards franchise player has played only 40 games over the last three years. He averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists during the 2020-21 season when he started in 40 games.

Stein pointed out that the LA Clippers and the Miami Heat are also potential suitors should a buyout happen. How the LA Lakers can fit Wall, who is a poor shooter, into their scheme will be another problem to solve but as things stand, it's a headache for another day.

The Indiana Pacers rebuffed the Lakers’ offer to acquire Malcolm Brogdon

The Indiana Pacers reportedly "chuckled" at the LA Lakers' offer for point guard Malcolm Brogdon. [Photo: Sports Illustrated]

The rumors about the LA Lakers’ interest in Malcolm Brogdon are apparently bigger than initially thought. LA has supposedly sent feelers to the Indiana Pacers for a possible trade. However, the Pacers weren’t interested in the Lakers’ offer of Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker and a future first-round pick.

On "The Zach Lowe Podcast," Jonathan Givony revealed this juicy piece of information:

“You’re hearing they’re calling [teams like] Indiana and saying, ‘How do you feel about Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker, and our 2026 first-rounder, and you know, they just get a nice chuckle.”

Givony added:

“And [Indiana says], ‘No thank you, we’ve got better deals on the table than that … Brogdon, yeah [the player the Lakers are interested in]. Which is probably not gonna happen.”

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The Indiana Pacers are reportedly willing to rebuild by making Myles Turner and Brogdon available for the right price. The latter could be the odd man out in Rick Carlisle’s backcourt rotation as Tyrese Haliburton could have a bigger role in the offense next season.

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The Pacers also have rookie Chris Duarte and recently drafted Bennedict Mathurin to fortify their perimeter.

GM Rob Pelinka considered purchasing another second-round pick during the NBA draft

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka thought about purchasing anther second-round pick but eventually decided against it. [Photo: Sportscasting]

The biggest news from the LA Lakers front office during the NBA draft was their purchase of the Orlando Magic’s 35th pick. LA then drafted Max Christie of Michigan State University, who they thought could be a lottery talent by next year.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic published a report on the Lakers’ plans during the draft:

“Kendall Brown, the No. 48 pick, was also in consideration for Los Angeles at No. 35. The Lakers considered purchasing another second-round pick to draft Brown, sources said.”

Buha added:

“The Lakers also had an interest in Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard, the No. 31 pick, though he was behind Christie and Brown on their board, sources said.”

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Andrew Nembhard was the Indiana Pacers' 31st pick, adding more talent to their plethora of guards. Kendall Brown was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded him to the Pacers.

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GM Rob Pelinka eventually settled with Christie as their only pick in this year’s draft. The former Spartan could be a project this season for new head coach Darvin Ham. Christie only shot 38.2% from the field, including a hideous 31.7% from beyond the arc, last season.

The LA Lakers are likely adding another poor shooter to a team that already has several horrible three-point shooters. Russell Westbrook, Stanley Johnson, Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis all shot bricks for most of last season.