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Lakers Rumors: Brandon Bass opts out of contract, becomes free agent

By Keith Rivas

Mar 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Bass (2) grabs the loose ball in front of New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (left) and guard Jose Calderon (right) during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The New York Knicks won 90-87. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Bass (2) grabs the loose ball in front of New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (left) and guard Jose Calderon (right) during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The New York Knicks won 90-87. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The latest Lakers rumors and news report that Brandon Bass is shaking things up to join free agency.

As reported by SB Nation, it is now unclear if Brandon Bass will be making a return to the Los Angeles Lakers after he decided to opt out of his player option for the upcoming season.

The move means that Bass won’t make his opt-in value of around $3 million, and instead he will try and find a better potential fit with a team with a better immediate chance of competing compared to where the Lakers are at the moment.

During the 2015-16 season, Bass put up averages of 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

While declining his player option doesn’t exactly come as too much of a surprise, the question now comes down to how bad the Lakers really want him back.

Youth has been a blessing a curse to the Lakers thus far as the team continues to try and rebuild into championship form — or something at least remotely close to it — and the return of Bass could provide some leadership in the locker room.

Despite not being the kind of guy the Lakers were probably thinking they’d be wanting leadership from, it makes sense for Los Angeles to get the veteran back on their roster if his asking price isn’t beyond their means.

Not that the Lakers wouldn’t have the money, but their main priorities are elsewhere and Bass would realistically take second place to any major free agent that the Lakers could potentially land.

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The plethora of names the Lakers will be trying to persuade this off-season remain a mouthful, but making sure that there’s some seasoned player on the team to help guide the younger stars could be one of the more crucial pieces to their puzzle.

In this particular case, the Lakers still have to wait and see with great anxiety when it comes to what will happen with Jordan Clarkson.

How his free agency period works out could shift a lot of the team’s decisions moving forward.

If they bring him back, for example, then it may make even more sense to continue pursuing Bass a presence on the floor that Clarkson’s familiar with.

Should the Lakers find themselves in a situation where Clarkson leaves town for elsewhere — possibly to the New York Knicks — then the focus shifts to building more around D’Angelo Russell than anybody else.

And that small shift will have a huge impact on who they truly chase in free agency.

Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweeted that Brandon Bass does want to return to the Lakers, but words said before, or even during, free agency can come back to not mean anything as we’ve seen in the past with the DeAndre Jordan fiasco.

If all goes as planned, the Lakers will be able to put some reasonable offers on the table for at least Bass and one solid free agent.

Next: Lakers Could Grab Kris Dunn

While the worst case scenario of landing nobody and seeing both Clarkson and Bass walk can’t be ruled out, it’d be foolish to look at the glass as half full so early on.

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