NBA Trade Rumors 2013: L.A Lakers Nearing Deal with Shannon Brown; Shooting Guard Better Fit With Mike D’Antoni System?

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in bringing back former shooting guard Shannon Brown, a reliable league source disclosed on Sunday.

The 27-year-old Brown is expected to be waived by the Washington Wizards after the Phoenix Suns sent him, Malcolm Lee, Kendall Marshall, Marcin Gortat to the nation's capital in exchange for Emeka Okafor and a first round (Top-12 protected) pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.  

Brown averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 23 minutes per game last season, but his name has been on the trading block ever since the Suns decided to push through with their youth revolution in the organization.

Re-uniting with Purple-and-Gold

Several teams have shown interest in signing the serviceable bench scorer, but the Lakers appear to be the most aggressive team, aiming to bring Brown back to  Hollywood.

With Kobe Bryant expected to miss games and play limited minutes after coming off Achilles heel surgery, the Lakers hope that Brown can efficiently play his former role as a backup shooting guard for the Lakers star.

Steve Kyler of Hoops World confirmed the Lakers' interest in Brown on his recent post on Twitter.

"All three [Malcolm Lee, Kendall Marshall and Brown] expected to be waived by the Wizards -- word is Shannon Brown headed back to the Lakers," the NBA insider posted on Saturday.

Fitting in with D'Antoni Up-Tempo Style

The Lakers currently have a logjam in the shooting guard position with Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry all capable of playing the two-guard spot.

However, Brown's athleticism and ability to knock down long jumpers should make him a perfect fit for D'Antoni run-and-gun style of play. Though Meeks and Blake boast a better clip from downtown after Brown's three-point shooting plunged to 27 percent last season, the former Michigan State product is definitely a better defender at the off-guard spot.

Lakerholics provided a nice breakdown on the Shannon Brown situation:

"There's also the issue of whether there's enough minutes at the shooting guard position for Brown to get enough court time: Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry are all players who are capable of playing the two guard, and when Kobe Bryant returns from injury that list will get longer," the site reported.

"It's worth noting, though, that Bryant is expected to play a lot of small forward this year, so maybe Brown could compete for that back-up two spot."