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NBA Free Agency Rumors: Lakers still debating whether to sign Tyler Ennis or Rajon Rondo

Will the front office go with the younger player or the veteran?

NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As the Los Angeles Lakers waive guard David Nwaba in order to make room for incoming free agency signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the front office also has a different backcourt debate on their hands.

According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are still considering bringing back Tyler Ennis or signing Rajon Rondo. Ganguli reports the Lakers “haven't decided yet how to proceed.”

With Caldwell-Pope replacing Nwaba, the Lakers will have 12 players on their roster. Signing Las Vegas Summer League standout Thomas Bryant to an NBA deal would bring the roster to 13 of the 15 guaranteed deals a team can carry during the regular season, although the team could elect to give Bryant one of the two two-way contracts they can offer.

The Lakers also could bring back Nwaba if he clears waivers, which takes 48 hours as the other 29 NBA teams are given a chance to claim him.

Whatever of those scenarios happen, what’s clear is the Lakers don’t have a ton of roster space left, and might be forced to choose between Ennis and Rondo.

Ennis offers the younger option with a bit more theoretical upside, while the team knows what they’re getting from Rondo, who might also bring a bit of veteran leadership to the table after a season that saw him mentor the young members of the Chicago Bulls’ roster.

The Lakers still do need help at back-up point guard behind rookie Lonzo Ball, and given how much buzz there’s been around Ennis and Rondo from the start of free agency, the team bringing in at least one of the pair would seem to be a strong possibility as they continue to bolster their backcourt.

Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.

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