NBA Rumors: 2 Veterans To Join Lakers For Short-Term Stint; James Rues Losing Skid

The Los Angeles Lakers, like most NBA teams, are trying to make sure they have enough players for games to go on. Following a four-game losing streak, the team plans to sign a couple of veteran players on short-term contracts, according to a report.

The embattled Lakers are signing Darren Collison and Stanley Johnson to 10-day deals via the hardship exemption route, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported, citing unnamed sources.

Both players could suit up for the purple and gold in time for their Christmas Day match against the Brooklyn Nets, according to the journalist.

Of the two, the return of Collison will be pretty interesting. The 34-year-old will return to action for the first time since announcing his retirement in 2019. Collison, who last played for the Indiana Pacers, cited religious reasons as his reason for choosing to leave the league at the time.

Johnson, on the other hand, is a former top 10 pick from the 2015 NBA Draft. Before he was signed to a 10-day deal, the 25-year-old had been spending time with the South Bay Lakers in the G-League.

Whether or not Collison and Johnson would be able to play with the Lakers beyond the 10-day contract will depend on their performance. But between the two, the former may stay longer as he could address the point guard void that head coach Frank Vogel has been struggling to solve.

Speaking of struggles, resident star LeBron James was upset after the Lakers lost their fourth game in a row to the San Antonio Spurs.

The 36-year-old star blamed chemistry as the main problem of any kind of lineup they tried. He pointed out that aside from him, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, there is no clarity on who else should be starting alongside them.

“We have no chemistry with any lineup, from the simple fact that we literally haven’t logged enough minutes. It’s the truth. What is our starting lineup besides me Russ and AD? … We don’t know,” James stated in the post-game interview following their loss to the Spurs Thursday.

It will not get easier for James and company as they face another team favored to win it all this season in the Nets. With Kevin Durant and company humming, the purple and gold may just see their losing skid extend to five games on Christmas Day.