Will the Lakers Actually Sign Andrew Bynum?

Andrew Bynum is attempting an NBA comeback.

Stadium NBA Insider Shams Charania reported earlier this week that Bynum was looking to make a return to the NBA floor. On Wednesday, Charania reported Bynum had a workout at the Lakers practice facility, though the workout was not an official team session.

Bynum, shockingly, is only 30 years old. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Lakers in 2005 and was part of two championship teams in Los Angeles. Bynum developed into an All-Star caliber player, but the Lakers traded him to the 76ers in the Dwight Howard deal in 2012. That is when Bynum’s long-standing knee problems finally seemed to come to a head.

Bynum played a full NBA season exactly once in his NBA career, back in 2006-07. He has suffered four knee injuries during his career and has had three knee surgeries. He was unable to make his comeback with the Pacers in the 2013-14 season due to swelling and soreness in his knee.

Bynum has been featured in Instagram videos running the floor against ghost defenders and draining three-pointers, but he made just one three-pointer in his career on nine attempts.

The Lakers might give Bynum an extended look due to his history with the franchise and a need for minutes at the center position, but Los Angeles is better served giving those opportunities to Ivica Zubac and first-round pick Moritz Wagner over Bynum.

It’ll be more likely than not that Bynum remains unsigned heading into the season. Even in an emergency situation, NBA teams will shy away from Bynum due to his injury history. The most realistic path back to the NBA for Bynum may come via The Big 3 tournament, where he can showcase his skills against actual competition and his durability against the physicality that will be present in the NBA.

Maybe that’s where Bynum starts his basketball comeback.