News / Sports
Jermaine O'Neal Wants to be a Laker
Indiana Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal says he wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. His friendship with Kobe Bryant has spanned almost 15 years and after talks with him, he knows that the combination between he and Bryant could revive the franchise and get O'Neal the ring he craves.
Indiana is going through a rebuilding process and O'Neal doesn't want to wait five years before the team is in contention for a title. He said he doesn't want to gut the Lakers in a trade, similar to the Boston Celtics trading five players and two draft picks for Kevin Garnett last week. O'Neal is looking for a fair trade.He said that if the Pacers were to do such a thing, he would just wait a year, opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
Pacers President Larry Bird affirmed that if a trade involving O'Neal was best for the team, then he will do so. As of right now, O'Neal is a Pacer.
The Lakers would be the perfect situation for O'Neal as they are seeking a seasoned big man to help budding star Andrew Bynum along and to be a dominant inside force to Bryant's outside game.
