Although the 2020-21 season hasn’t gone exactly as they had hoped, the Los Angeles Lakers are still in a position to contend for a championship if they can get healthy before the playoffs.
Even though they are currently without their two stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers decided to stand pat and didn’t make any trades before the deadline despite being linked to Kyle Lowry and a number of other big-name players.
The Lakers did have two open roster spots though, giving them the ability to pick up a couple of impact players on the buyout market should they become available. They filled one of those roster spots pretty quickly with the addition of a former All-Star in center Andre Drummond.
With the final roster spot, it was reported that the Lakers were looking for a 3-and-D wing, which would address a major need for them on the perimeter.
It appears they have found their man as the Lakers announced during their game on Tuesday night that they have signed guard Ben McLemore, who was recently bought out by the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers didn’t announce the terms of the deal, but according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, it’s for the remainder of the season:
Ben McLemore's contract with the Lakers is for the remainder of the season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells @TheAthletic @Stadium. https://t.co/LIwhQi45a4
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 6, 2021
McLemore isn’t really known for his defense, but he does bring shooting to the table, which is much-needed right now considering how much the team has struggled offensively without their two stars.
In eight career NBA seasons, McLemore is a 36.3% shooter from deep. The former No. 7 overall pick out of Kansas has appeared in 32 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 35.7% from the field and 33.1% from 3-point range.
In addition to his shooting, the McLemore signing also doesn’t come as much as a surprise for L.A. since he is repped by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
It remains to be seen how many minutes McLemore will get when everyone on the Lakers is healthy, but there is no doubt he can add an extra scoring punch off the bench while so many other key players continue to work their way back from injury.
Now that the Lakers’ roster is full, they would have to waive someone if they want to make any more additions before the April 9 buyout deadline.
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