Lakers Appear Interested in Walton--He Gets a Physical

Free-agent Clipper center Bill Walton, who has until the end of this month to sign an offer sheet with another National Basketball Assn. team, was given a physical examination by the Lakers’ doctors Monday in Los Angeles.

The Lakers were interested in signing Walton as a free agent last summer and again appear to be considering presenting the 32-year-old center an offer sheet. Laker General Manager Jerry West confirmed that team doctors examined Walton, but he added that negotiations with Walton have only begun. “There’s nothing imminent whatsoever,” West said. “I saw Bill in San Francisco (during last week’s NBA meetings) after he was tested by the Celtics. He said he was going to be in town (Los Angeles), so he’ll visit our doctors.

“We’re not working on anything (with Walton) right now. People aren’t familiar that a team can’t do what it would like to do because of restrictions within the salary cap.”

Before the Lakers could sign Walton or any other free agent, they have to decide if they will retain free-agent forward Bob McAdoo, who will earn more than $900,000 next season.

Gary Vandeweghe, Walton’s lawyer, said Monday he doesn’t expect the Lakers to make an offer in the near future. But he did say that the Lakers are interested in signing Walton.

“Anybody who is looking at a free agent needs to have the question of health answered sometime during the negotiations,” Vandeweghe said. “When it’s Bill Walton you’re looking at, you do that first before proceeding with any talks. A physical is one of the first steps, not the last step.

“If the Lakers were seen to have been just idly sitting by when a center with the skills and abilities of Bill leaves town and signs with another team, questions would be asked by people in the organization and their fans. Secondly, I think the Lakers would like to have Bill because they’ll need a backup center this year and a full-time center after that.”

Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer said that, unless the Lakers offer Walton an extraordinary amount, the Clippers would match the offer.

“Based on my conversation with West at the league meetings, he seemed less than hot on Bill,” Scheer said. “He said they weren’t going to pay him a lot of money and that were divided feelings among the staff.”

A trade between the Clippers and Boston that would send Walton to the Celtics for forward Cedric Maxwell is on hold while Maxwell rehabilitates his injured knee. Vandeweghe said the Celtics won’t tender an offer sheet to Walton because of the salary cap.

“Right now, I think it would be the trade, not an offer sheet. It all depends on Maxwell’s condition.”