The Los Angeles Lakers received a major talent boost when they managed to sign Andre Drummond after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Drummond was far and away the best player to hit the buyout market, giving the Lakers someone who will come in and immediately make them better. In his debut against the Milwaukee Bucks, Drummond flashed what he could do on both ends of the floor before hurting his toe and should look even better once LeBron James and Anthony Davis return to the lineup.
Even after adding Drummond, the Lakers have one more roster spot left to fill. Head coach Frank Vogel would not reveal what type of player the team will target, but did note they want someone who can contribute right away. “I’m not sure where that’s going to fall, but we’ll continue to monitor what guys come available,” Vogel said.
“I’m not really going to get into specific team needs or positional needs we’re directing that towards, it’s really more about probably what players become available that have the most intrigue and we feel could help us out the most rather than targeting a specific skill set or something like that.”
It makes sense that Vogel and the Lakers would want the best player available, but reports surfaced earlier in the month that they would be looking to add a 3-and-D wing. With the current roster construction, a 3-and-D wing would be an ideal addition as the Lakers could use another player who can knock down threes and check opposing perimeter players.
However, every team in the league will be looking for that type of player and the Purple and Gold may find themselves shut out given their salary constraints. The Lakers can only offer prorated minimum contracts while other teams will have cap space or exceptions at their disposal.
Still, there should be optimism that a useful player will come to Los Angeles as they would be guaranteed a deep playoff push.
Potential buyout candidates
While some players have already been bought out, teams like the Lakers are waiting for more names to become available. Avery Bradley has already been rumored as a potential target should he be bought out, but there are other players like Otto Porter Jr. and Cory Joseph who could come in and help the Lakers.
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