Raja Bell Could Be Joining the Los Angeles Lakers

There are reports surfacing, mainly thanks to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, that Raja Bell may be coming to the Lakers. Earlier  he tweeted: 

Another possibility for Raja Bell: The Lakers. Kobe Bryant recruited Bell hard a year ago, and still fits as defensive-minded guard w/ Nash.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2012
 

 

So what does this mean for the Lakers? Bell was bought out by the Utah Jazz after a less than impressive season, averaging only six points. 

While Kobe Bryant is a Bell fan, and Steve Nash would play well with him, the Lakers do not need to spend more short term money on older players. They have a pretty advanced team as it is, so they should be looking at younger pieces who can grow with the team, once Kobe is done playing, Pau is gone and Nash's new contract is up.

Bell is a good defensive player, and the Lakers are lacking on defense, but an older player is not going to help them stop a young Oklahoma City team. They're also pretty full at the guard position and need to add some forwards and big men to their bench.

While Bell wouldn't be the worst thing ever, he's far from the best.