Byron Scott Says Opposing Players Have Told Him, ‘Hey Coach, I Would Love to be in L.A. Next Year’

The Lakers are 19-53 and one of the worst teams in the NBA. But the team remains optimistic that free agents will flock to Los Angeles this summer because, well, it’s the Lakers. Head coach Byron Scott claims that during games this season, opposing players have sidled up to him on the bench and said “Hey Coach, I would love to be in L.A. next year.” Do you believe that or is Scott exaggerating?

From Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:

But the Lakers will owe a first-round pick to Philadelphia as part of the Steve Nash trade with Phoenix unless it lands in the top five. The Lakers could not sign LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony last summer. Both Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol also left in consecutive offseasons without the Lakers receiving anything in return.

 

But Scott called those developments the “past” and exuded optimism beyond the Lakers’ usual talking points about their 16 NBA championships.

 

“You have a lot of free agents out there who would love to play for us. They’ve been making it pretty clear,” Scott said. “You have guys during the games come by the bench saying, ‘Hey Coach, I would love to be in L.A. next year.’ That makes you feel good there are players out there that want to be here. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re taking it in a different direction. They know this organization and the history of the organization is going to be back.”

 

Scott would not name any candidates because of tampering rules. Nor would Scott disclose how many potential free agents expressed those sentiments to him during games. But the direct and indirect feedback from those players prompted Scott to express confidence.