NBA Rumors: Lakers eyeing a Derek Fisher return?

The Los Angeles Lakers made all of the right moves this offseason to put them into position to make a run at the NBA Finals. They could, however, be looking to make a not-so-right move between now and then.

If the right pieces fall into place, the Lakers could eventually reunite with former point guard Derek Fisher.

With Steve Nash now holding down the point guard position, the Lakers are left with Steve Blake and Chris Duhon to back up the veteran. Since both of them come with pricey salaries, Los Angeles could be looking to trade whoever loses the battle for the No. 2 spot in order to lessen the luxury tax hit.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Fisher could be an option for the Lakers if they do manage to trade one or the other of their current backup point guards.

Per NBA rules, the earliest that the Lakers could re-sign Fisher would be March 15, 2013. He’ll have to wait an entire year after he was traded to and then waived by the Houston Rockets.

Although the idea of bringing back Fisher might sound tempting to the Lakers faithful, it makes little sense from a competitive standpoint.

First of all, as the Lakers learned over the last couple of seasons, Fisher has almost nothing left in the tank. Not only is he a limited offensive weapon, but he’s also a disastrous liability on defense. Fisher no longer has the speed to keep up with the younger point guards of the NBA and doesn’t have the stamina or agility to be a consistent shooting threat.

What he would bring, however, is a veteran presence – and basically another coach – to the Lakers bench. Fisher is a wily veteran who has seen just about everything that the NBA currently has to offer. He has played aside the best players and under the best coaches in the game, and would be a terrific mentor to many of the Lakers’ young playmakers.

No matter how they spin it, it would be a highly-scrutinized move for the Lakers. Then again, who knows where they will be when March 15 rolls around. Fisher might not even be an option at that point.

That’s why they call them rumors.

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