Lakers May Try to Lure Former Lottery Pick Out of Retirement

The Los Angeles Lakers have to fix their roster and they have just been linked to a former lottery pick. The team was advised to make big changes this offseason. Michael Scotto bets on Shabazz Muhammad and yes, the Lakers had him for a workout. Muhammad is joining a group of veteran free agents and some of them may secure a deal with the Lakers.

“The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to bring in several veteran free agents for workouts, including former 2013 lottery pick Shabazz Muhammad, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote on July 22, 2022. “Muhammad recently worked out for the Sacramento Kings during Las Vegas Summer League.”

There’s one major concern though. Muhammad called it career in 2018. He hasn’t played for a few years and this may be a big obstacle for the Lakers and other interested teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Muhammad as a No.14 pick in 2013. He spent four seasons with the team and then joined the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a short stint with the franchise and they released him in October 2018.

The Lakers may find some use for the former lottery pick

Muhammad played in China and the Philippines and now he has a chance to sign with an NBA team again.

“I think obviously [I bring] scoring,” Muhammad told Scotto during a March 9 interview. “There’s a lot of small ball now in the NBA. I’m a really good rebounder, and it’s one thing I take an initiative in. I’d bring energy off the bench. That’s one thing I know I did when I was in Minnesota. I’d make sure I’m always staying fit and ready while being the best teammate I can be off the floor as well to the young guys.

“I’d let them know they can’t take the league for granted. Make sure I got extra shots and did all the little things. You can get frustrated when you’re not playing, and all of a sudden, you go in a game at the 45th game of the season, and they throw you in the game.”