Lakers West Rival Showing Interest in Former Guard

Ricardo Sandoval | Nov 5, 2024

May 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV (4) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) in game four of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV could make a return to the NBA. 

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Denver Nuggets are a team to watch for to acquire Walker. 

Denver has emerged as a "team to watch" alongside Boston for Lonnie Walker's potential NBA return as the season unfolds, league sources tell @TheSteinLine

More on Walker's move to the EuroLeague with Žalgiris Kaunas in the latest This Week In Basketball: https://t.co/I1HDxIpOpb

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 4, 2024

Walker recently signed a deal with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Euroleague. ESPN's Shams Charania shared the news last week via Twitter/X. The contract with his new team includes an NBA buyout clause that the player can exercise until Feb. 18.

The Nuggets could use some backcourt help, especially since they no longer have former Laker champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on their roster. He brought some toughness, shooting, and defense to the team, and without him, the Nuggets are missing a piece of what made them the championship bunch in 2023. 

Now they'll look for a replacement, and it could be Walker. 

Walker spent one season with the Lakers, averaging 11.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 56 games and 32 starts in the 2022-23 season.

The Lakers signed Walker on a one-year, $6.5 million contract. He played the first 32 games of the season before suffering knee tendinitis issues in December. At the time, he was doing quite well for himself, although the Lakers weren't, averaging 14.7 points in 29.8 minutes per game and shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 38.9 percent on 3-pointers.

Walker missed 14 games due to the injury. Afterward, he was practically out of the lineup, especially after the Lakers acquired D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura before the trade deadline.

After his brief stint with the Lakers, Walker spent one season with the Brooklyn Nets and was with the Boston Celtics this past preseason. The 25-year-old was unable to get a guaranteed contract over the summer but signed an Exhibit-10-day deal with the Celtics in August.

Last season with the Nets, Walker averaged 9.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 58 games.

The San Antonio Spurs initially drafted Walker with the No.18 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Although he is now overseas, he remains a top talent in the world and deserves a shot in the NBA. 

If the Lakers had the wiggle room on the roster, he could even have a spot in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, that is not the case, but the 25-year-old can still do a lot of stuff on the basketball court that could help some NBA teams, including his shooting, scoring ability, and athleticism. 

More Lakers: Former Lakers Guard Signs Deal with EuroLeague Squad