The Buyout Market

The Los Angeles Lakers stayed put at the trade deadline a few days ago, while other contenders tried their best to reinvigorate their squads to improve their title aspirations. Lately, much has been discussed about the possible “failure” by Rob Pelinka and the Lakers, but is this trade deadline such a big hit to the Lakers championship hopes? They still have the best player in the World, in LeBron James, as a Top 10 player in the league, Top 5 for some, in Anthony Davis. It’s known that they have some flaws on their roster, mainly in the Point Guard position and in the Small Forward department. Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted yesterday that Darren Collison, one of the Lakers top targets at the moment, was staying retired until the end of the season. The news hit hard on those who wear purple and gold, both the fans and probably the front office. The 32-year-old guard could have been a very good addition to their squad, as his fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis seemed spot on. The deal didn’t materialise, unfortunately for the Lakers, and they’re looking for other options on the buyout market that could bolster their chances for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

1. Reggie Jackson

The Pistons guard is expected to be bought out from the Detroit Pistons in the next few days, according to several sources, and if he indeed gets released by them, the Lakers could position themselves in pole position to acquire his rights. Jackson is averaging 15.8 PPG and 4.8 APG on a 40.4% FG and 40.3% 3PG shooting splits. The most important thing about the player is that he’s able to create his own shot, something that their bench unit is lacking. Although their bench production has not been bad on some nights, the Lakers are currently the 5th worst Offense when LeBron James is not on the court, even with Anthony Davis playing. The addition of Reggie Jackson could solve one of their main deficiencies, especially when Rajon Rondo continuously gets big minutes even though he’s a net negative.

Detroit's Reggie Jackson is still assessing whether to pursue a buyout or complete his Pistons contract, league sources say, but the Clippers have emerged as a likely suitor if Jackson goes that route



The Clips, of course, also have interest in prime Laker target Darren Collison — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 8, 2020

2. Dion Waiters

The names talked to improve the Lakers roster are not very encouraging, i’ll give you that. But still, in a perfect world, these players mentioned could actually help the team. Dion Waiters has a bad reputation across the league, rightfully so, due to his off-court issues, but when he puts his mind into basketball only, he could be very useful. His talent is unquestionable, but on a team with championship aspirations, Waiters is the type of experience that if it goes south, it could spell trouble for everyone. He already had a brief stint playing alongside LeBron James, before getting traded to Minnesota in the Kevin Love deal, so there’s no real evidence if he could be a positive asset with the Lakers. Obviously, Dion is a player which teams are trying to stay away from, even though he has enough game to be on any NBA roster. It’s up to Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office to decide whether the 28-year-old could mature as a person to know his role with the team. Ultimately, he could bring a very much needed spark off the bench in terms of scoring and creating for others.

Update in story via @WindhorstESPN and me: Lakers expected to have exploratory conversation with Dion Waiters in near future. https://t.co/V1bBRirHX3 — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2020

3. Jeff Green

A true professional player, Jeff Green is one of the names mentioned as well to sign with the LA team. A small forward capable of hitting the 3-point shot at a respectable clip, while being able to guard the other’s team best players, is something that’s currently missing in the Lakers squad. Moe Harkless, who was included in the Marcus Morris trade, is probably not getting bought out by the New York Knicks, a player that would be the 1st choice for them. Green has spent one season with the Cavs on LeBron’s last year there and he was one of the most important players in their Finals run, mainly in the series against the Boston Celtics. He was waived by the Utah Jazz early in the season, and made way to the waivers list, with the only strange thing happening until now is the fact that he still hasn’t been able to find a team to take him. We assume that his basketball skills, although not as great as a few years ago, are still useful for limited minutes on a team contending for a championship. At the moment, and with Marvin Williams making his way to the Bucks, Green is the only option at the forward position that the Lakers could use.

Utah is waiving forward Jeff Green, league sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 24, 2019

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