NBA Free Agency Rumor: Lakers reach out to Rajon Rondo, according to report

The Los Angeles Lakers have yet to make a free agent signing, so they decided it was time to call one of their most-often speculated targets, Rajon Rondo, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. The Lakers were not expected to make a run at signing Rondo after they drafted D'Angelo Russell, but things have gone sour enough in free agency for the team to at least put in a courtesy call it seems.

The Sacramento Kings are desperately trying to sign talent after they traded a protected first-round pick and Nick Stauskas, along with salary, to the Philadelphia 76ers. Both Monta Ellis and Wesley Matthews signed elsewhere, even though the Kings were offering hefty contracts to the wings. That's made Rondo a priority for Sacramento, and the two sides are scheduled to meet Friday.

The Lakers have been frozen out of signing any free agents, waiting for the big dominoes in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan to fall before rounding out the rest of their roster with whatever talent's left of the shelves. Rondo might be a veteran presence, but his off-court issues and on-court deficiencies created a storm in Dallas that left him out of the roation. The Lakers might be best served to look for a stable veteran that's a positive locker room presence and is willing to play behind Russell and Jordan Clarkson.

Of course, this could just all be a ploy for a little thing called leverage, trying to push the Kings' front office over the edge just enough to sign Rondo for the kind of money he's demanding. Especially after the big numbers they brought to the table for Wesley Matthews.