Meyers Leonard to work out for Lakers

Meyers Leonard, who has been gone from the NBA for nearly two years, will work out for the Lakers on Friday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported.

Leonard, who spent his first seven years with the Trail Blazers before two with the Heat, hasn’t been in the league since March 2021 when he used an anti-Semitic slur during a live video game stream. Miami suspended him indefinitely after the incident, then traded him to the Thunder as salary filler as part of the Trevor Ariza trade, with Oklahoma City immediately releasing the 7-footer.

He was ultimately suspended for a week by the NBA and fined $50,000 and later apologized.

With Anthony Davis still sidelined with a stress injury to his right foot, the Lakers have been looking for a big man to help with spacing — they are also working out former All-Star DeMarcus Cousins on Friday.

It’s also not the first time a player accused of anti-Semitism has been connected to the Lakers.

In the offseason, L.A. pursued a trade for Kyrie Irving. The Nets star was later suspended after linking to an anti-Semitic movie on social media.

Irving, who will be a free agent this summer, ended up missing eight games for the Nets amid the controversy and since his return has helped spark the Nets to the second-best record in the East.

Leonard, 30, last played in an NBA game on Jan. 9, 2021 against the Wizards and underwent ankle surgery in April of that year, then suffered from nerve damage in the bottom half of his right leg due to the procedure. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and shot 39 percent from the 3-point line for his career.