The Lakers are set to work out free agent center Meyers Leonard on Friday, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The seven-footer out of Illinois enjoyed a nine-year NBA career as a backup for the Trail Blazers and Heat, before injuries and controversy ended his run in 2021. While recovering from season-ending surgeries to his shoulder and ankle in 2021, Leonard used an antisemitic slur during a live stream of a video game on Twitch. He was quickly fined $50K and suspended by Miami, then was traded to the Thunder and cut before the end of the 2020/21 NBA season.
To his credit, Leonard completed training in a league-mandated cultural diversity program and has since apologized for his behavior. He has not been rostered, in the NBA or internationally, ever since. Charania adds (via Twitter) that Leonard has logged significant time in the intervening years with Jewish leaders and been involved with the Jewish community.
Still just 30, Leonard represents an athletic and intriguing option for Los Angeles. A career 39% three-point shooter on 1.9 attempts, he could help spread the floor for one of the league’s least efficient three-point shooting clubs.
The Lakers currently have every spot on their 15-man standard roster occupied, but swingman Sterling Brown is on a 10-day contract and has yet to score a basket across three games, so he may not be long for L.A.
His career 5.6ppg should really put them over the top
The Lakers clearly needs a major revolution, and trading away LeBron or Davis might be one solution.
He’d fill the 15th spot on the bench, I don’t think their expecting the second coming of prime Bill Walton.
He’s an excellent floor spacer
For one playoff game with the Blazers 7 years ago he was….
An excellent floor spacer On just 2 attempts per game?
Dude has no particular skill. I’ve read several times he is actually 7.1, yet his career average in blocks is 0.3… says it all
Almost a career 40% 3 point shooter. Your as dumb as your name
If you’re gonna call someone dumb on the internet, at least make sure what you say is grammatically correct.
Small sample size – he shot less than two a game.
838 career attempts isn’t a small sample size.
When Leonard was playing, particularly after his first 3-4 seasons, he set the best picks in the league. the only player I’ve seen in my 54 years of seeing NBA games who possibly set a better pick was Wes Unseld.
I don’t know, Steven Adams sets screens so nasty your momma feels them.
Are you slow? Which 7-1 guys can shoot that well for the minimum?
Meyers probably won’t catch on in L.A. unless it’s a 10-dayer to help out a bit. I hope he gets another shot in the NBA, whether with the Lakers or elsewhere.
He’s on the wrong side of 30 and was never above average
i thought i read that boogie cousins is gunna audition on friday too. why hasn’t carmelo gotten a shot yet? that sucks for ‘melo.
Mélo back to Denver
They tried the Melo thing last year. Didn’t work out
13.3 ppg last year. The Lakers could probably use his scoring. Maybe check stats before you complain.
He scored that on a terrible team that didn’t have its stars on most nights. I’m a huge Melo fan, but he got those stats because no one else was available.
Would love to see him make a proper cameo in NY before he officially retires.
About time he got another shot. There’s worse players on rosters right now and his offense was something childish that he was immediately owned up about.
Myers ain’t going to get a shot… This will get the same backlash that happened when LeBron said Kyrie shouldn’t of been suspended…
This one’s gonna fall a tad short of your wishful hopes
How so? He apologized immediately and has shown remorse unlike Kyrie.
Nice to see a second chance granted, there’s a spot In the league for him, he will have to play his way back into it tho
Lakers must know something about 7ft Jay Huff’s ability to make the jump up from G league that the rest of us can’t see. Dude is killing it for the South Bay Lakers, he shoots, he blocks, and they don’t even seem interested. Strange..
Even considering him is a dis to Damian Jones
If you know basketball enough to follow this site you had to watch the Lakers all season thinking, “Man, if they could just get MEYERS LEONARD…”
LeBron and him will get along.
Hassan Whiteside
Career — 12.6 pts, 10.8 reb, at 24.7 mins
He’s out there too …….
Whiteside and Boogie are seeing the consequences of their attitude through the years. They both have perceived talent, but no one is going near them.