After Carlos Boozer was amnestied by the Chicago Bulls last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers quickly snatched him up. Boozer spent the 2014-15 season with the Lakers, but now will have to find a new home, as the Lakers don’t seem to have any intention of re-signing the power forward.
Originally, the Lakers were expected to make a push for Boozer, along with 5 other teams: the Nets, Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, and Heat.
Now, that list has been narrowed down, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
Knicks, Rockets and Mavericks remain interested in Lakers free agent forward Carlos Boozer, league sources tell Sheridan Hoops.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 28, 2015
Boozer is a veteran big man, and the peak of his career is long gone. However, he still brings solid rebounding and midrange shooting, and is still capable of filling a role off the bench.
For his career, Boozer has averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 52.1% shooting. Last season, Boozer played a career-low 23.8 minutes per game, but still put up strong per-game averages of 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He was also named to the All-Star team twice. Boozer can still contribute off the bench offensively, though he isn’t exactly elite on the defensive end.
Bottom line, the Knicks, Rockets, and Mavs could all use Boozer’s impact off the bench. He’s a useful backup that just about any team would be happy to have for the right price.
