Cedi Osman did not turn down a training camp invite from the Lakers before signing with Panathinaikos in Greece, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.
A Eurohoops.net report indicated Osman had an offer on the table from the Lakers to join the team for training camp but that he turned it down without having assurances he’d make the regular season roster. Stein’s report suggests that wasn’t the case.
The Lakers already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and are less than $50K away from exceeding the second apron, so even if Osman had joined them in training camp, it wouldn’t have made sense to retain him on a standard contract. Osman hopes he can play his way back to the NBA next season, Stein adds.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Head coach J.J. Redick isn’t concerned about LeBron James and Anthony Davis shortening their usual offseason regimens after playing in the Paris Olympics, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com relays via a ‘Spectrum’s Lakeshow Podcast.’ “I mean, look, those guys are professionals in every sense of the word,” Redick said. “My concern for them about whether or not they’ll be ready to play on Oct. 22 and be in shape, I don’t have that concern. We’re gonna work with (athletic trainer Mike Mancias and associate athletic trainer Jon Ishop) making sure that they feel that they’re in a great place to start the regular season. They’ll certainly be involved in training camp and the preseason here in September, as well as preseason games.”
- Former head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks are among the assistants on Redick’s staff. The first-year head coach is thrilled with what he’s seen so far, Starkand notes from the same podcast. “I couldn’t be happier with the staff that we’ve built here, we have a blend of youth, experience,” Redick said. “Obviously Nate and Scotty, but also Bob Beyer, who has been at the front of the bench for almost two decades in the NBA. The biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of sickos on my staff and I think I’ve accomplished that. They’re grinders.”
- In case you missed it, Christian Wood required knee surgery that will sideline him for the early weeks of the season. Get the details here.
I’m surprised no contending team added Osman. He’s always been someone that can play 15-20 minutes a night, and he’ll give you 7-10 points, grab 2-3 boards, get a couple assists, and he’s a legitimate 36% 3-point threat from deep.
I’ve always thought he’s the perfect kind of veteran wing off the bench that can help the second unit by doing a little bit of everything.
I mean, unless I’m wrong, I’m pretty sure he could have been signed for the veteran minimum and would have if it meant him staying in the NBA with the chance at getting some decent minutes in a rotation.
Idk, I just find it really hard to believe that a team like the Suns, Lakers, Denver, Dallas, 76ers, etc. couldn’t use Osman..
Am I missing something? I’m well aware he isn’t the best defensive player out there, but he isn’t unplayable like some players. He communicates well on the defensive end, he gives effort at all times, he shoots from range, he’s a decent rebounder, and he looks to always help his teammates getting involved on offense. History of attitude problems? Teams assuming he wanted more money than the miminum? Idk, but it just doesn’t make sense that he’s signing overseas when there are guys on almost every roster he’s easily better than.
Osman is kind of a marginal talent for a veteran. 36% might be the standard for shooting, but for a veteran who is supposed to be a leader, that’s kind of the floor. Vets have to lead both vocally and in practice, but also by example on the floor.
The bigger issue with Osman is that he’s consistently inconsistent. He had the same number of games with 3 or fewer points as he did with 10+ last season (20 for each). And that’s excluding the two games where he played under 10 minutes. He looks good on paper, but as a longtime Cavs fan, you aren’t going to get that from him frequently. His defense is the same way. Fluctuates game-to-game, play-to-play. He’s more of a sparkplug than a reliable presence, and he’s not much of that, either. Teams would rather have a young guy with room to improve for that roster spot, rather than a veteran who isn’t much help half the time.
I can categorically say it’s not attitude, though. His teammates love the guy. Kevin Love always sang his praises in Cleveland, and nobody was happy to see him go in the Max Strus S&T. Strus just filled the void instantly, with better on-floor production for similar skills.
You are spot on. Inconsistency drives coaches batty. When a coach brings a bench player into a game, he wants to know exactly what he’s getting, and that helps plan the mix of players on the floor. I’m sure Osman is a great guy & his highlight reel looks wonderful. But his coaches never knew if they were going to get that Cedi or not.
As far as the Lakers thing goes, I suspect his offer came not from the FO but direct from GM LeBron, who has always liked Cedi.
I don’t think it’s an offer from LeBron, either. I imagine there were internal discussions in the FO, looking at some of LeBron’s old teammates, but they realized they were right up against the cap and decided not to make an offer, but the info got leaked and a Eurohoops journalist decided to pounce on a scoop. News regarding NBA players thinking of joining EuroLeague teams is bigger over there, especially if it regards players who are from Europe in the first place.