A team that will almost be entirely different next year has to scare some people, especially the players hoping they would have a job in the league next year.
Especially a guy who’s been out for a majority of the season and would possibly third in the depth chart for the Los Angeles Lakers. For some reason though, nothing being guaranteed for next year doesn’t scare veteran point guard Ronnie Price.
Following from Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
After all, Price said he “absolutely” wants to re-sign with the Lakers once he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July. Price fully understands the Lakers will prioritize the NBA draft and marquee free agents before assessing his future. But Price wants to ensure he has fully recovered from his elbow surgery so the Lakers solely evaluate him on his performance.
“I don’t consider my season to be great at all,” said Price, who believes his elbow injury limited his follow-through in recent seasons. “But as far as showing I can still be productive and show the Lakers what I can do every day in practice, hopefully they see some value.”
Price added he “absolutely” would remain interested in staying with the Lakers even as a third-string point guard. The Lakers appear invested in developing rookie guard Jordan Clarkson and could also upgrade the position through free agency (Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic) or through the NBA Draft.
The nine-year veteran averaged only 5.1 points on 34.5 percent shooting and 3.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per game. Despite the lack of production, Price still started 20 of 43 games due to the fact that old-school Lakers coach Byron Scott liked his tenacity, defense and leadership.
Price has bounced around the league a few times with the Lakers being the 6th team he’s been on during his NBA career. The journeyman point guard’s selflessness might just secure him a spot on the Lakers next year who will have some cap space as Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle and Nick Young are the only main pieces under contract for next season.
