Former UNC Point Guard Raymond Felton has Reportedly Drawn Interest from the LA Lakers

It appears that one of the greatest point guards in Tar Heels history may be in store for a change of scenery in the NBA. According to several reports, the Los Angeles Lakers have shown interest in acquiring Raymond Felton to solve their dilemma at the point guard position this season.

After bouncing around teams like the Charlotte Bobcats, the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets, and now the Portland Blazers, Felton is has yet to find a solid fit with a NBA team. While he has put up respectable number thus far in his career, it looks as though the Trail Blazers may become the most recent team to cut ties with the former NCAA Champion. After he got into a confrontation with Blazers head coach Nate McMillan above an alleged lack of confidence in his ability, a change of scenery may be the best thing for Felton at this point in his career. At this point, his starting position with his current team has fallen under serious question. While it is purely speculation at this point, if Felton could manage to become a part of the Lakers backcourt, the move may allow him to fully live up to his potential. Playing alongside some of the talented players on the Lakers roster would also likely boost his statistics.

The move would also be an excellent transaction for the Los Angeles. So far during the 2012 NBA season, the Lakers have struggled mightily at the point guard position. Since the team’s change from Phil Jackson’s triangle offence, to a more conventional offense under Mike Brown, their hole at the point guard position has been magnified. While current guard Derek Fisher is still a valuable asset to the team due to his clutch shooting and veteran presents, his age prevents him from being a consistent threat on offense. Even more scrutinized has been the Lakers inability to defend opposing point guards. Adding a player like Raymond Felton to their team could potentially solve all of these issues, and help reestablish the Lakers as a dominate franchise in the NBA’s Western Conference. Additionally, players like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum would likely see a jump in their offensive statistics due to Felton’s playmaking ability (assuming the Lakers were able to acquire a point guard without parting ways with any of these core players).

Again, this deal is nothing more than a rumor at this point, but the notion itself is noteworthy, especially to serious UNC fans. Just the thought of a former Tar Heels National Champion and fan favorite running the offense for the most storied franchise in the NBA is certainly an interesting idea. As far as my opinion is concerned, this deal would go a long way of fixing the well documented issues that the Lakers have experienced so far this season. If there is any way to make this deal without breaking up the core unit in Los Angeles, then this move should be a no-brainer. In fact, the team would then have the potential to use Gasol as trade bait to acquire the necessary talent to fix the other holes in the Lakers lineup. If all of these things come into fruition (and I would certainly say that they are all within the realm of possibility), then Felton my very well add a NBA Championship to go along with his NCAA Title.