NBA rumors: Lakers will not extend Kent Bazemore qualifying offer

The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to find a diamond in the rough when they acquired Kent Bazemore from the Golden State Warriors last season, but despite some solid numbers, the Lakers weren’t imrpessed enough to extend him a qualifying offer.

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Bazemore didn’t get much of a chance with the Warriors though thanks to the rash of injuries suffered by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bazemore was able to average over 27 minutes per game during his 23-game stint in Hollywood which saw him post 13 points per game on 45 percent from the field. Bazemore also added in three rebounds, three assists and over a steal per game but apparently that wasn’t worth the few million dollars it would have cost to retain the former Old Dominion talent.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the Lakers have given up on Bazemore, just that they won’t given him the qualifying offer that was inked into his rookie deal. It’s still possible that Los Angeles could attempt to re-sign him at a lower salary as they’re likely pushing for every dollar they can find in hopes of luring a big name to Hollywood in free agency.

Simply put, the Lakers understandably didn’t want Bazemore’s qualifying offer (while relatively cheap) to be the difference maker between signing a LeBron James or not.

Of course, being Bazemore will no longer have restricted status, he’s free to join any team he desires and the Lakers won’t have the privilege of matching the contract offer. He likely won’t find a home until the end of free agency, however, once teams have their caps set.