Utah Jazz rumors: Closing in on a deal with Kent Bazemore?

There were many surprises for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2013-2014 season.

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However, because they lost center Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets and were devastated by injuries (future Hall-of-Fame guards Kobe Bryant and Steve missed a majority of the season while another Hall-of-Fame, big man Pau Gasol, suffered from various ailments), their record of 27-55, which was the sixth-worst mark in the league, probably wasn’t one of them.

The performance of three of their wing players – Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Kent Bazemore – were.

Meeks has already cashed in, agreeing to a three-year deal with the Detroit Pistons. Young opted out of the final year of his deal and once bigger names sign, he will probably find a nice deal. It also looks like Bazemore, who was acquired in the Steve Blake trade, is primed for a big raise as well.

The Lakers would love to keep Bazemore and the San Antonio Spurs are of many teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz, that would like to sign Bazemore.

It looks like there is a favorite among those teams. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles, citing a source, “the talks between Kent Bazemore and the Utah Jazz have moved past the preliminary stage, but the sides are not close to a deal.”

Bazemore averaged 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on the season while shooting 42.9% from the field, 33.6% from beyond the arc and 60.5% from the free throw line. He was much better after joining the Lakers, averaging 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 45.1% from the floor, 37.1% from beyond the arc and 64.4% from the charity stripe.

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