The Los Angeles Lakers have announced they have waived center DeAndre Jordan — opening up a roster spot for the arrival of veteran guard D.J. Augustin.
Jordan began the 2021-22 season as part of the Lakers’ starting lineup. But the 33-year-old big man has played in just five games since the turn of the year, as the Purple and Gold narrowed their rotation to just one nominal center in Dwight Howard earlier this season.
Jordan featured in 32 games for the Lakers, averaging 4.1 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 67.4% from the field. Reports claim Jordan won’t stay without a job for long, as the Philadelphia 76ers are believed to engage in an “aggressive pursuit” of the center once he becomes available.
Augustin spent the first half of 2021-22 with the Houston Rockets, putting up 5.4 points and 2.2 assists per game over 34 games, shooting 40.4% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc.
The 34-year-old guard proved to be a valuable rotation player for the Rockets last season. After arriving in Houston via trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, Augustin averaged 10.6 points and 3.9 assists, shooting 38.6% from downtown.
Also, he clocked in just 20.8 minutes per night over 20 games, starting six of them.
Augustin will provide the Lakers with some much-needed firepower from deep, as they shot just 33.5% from behind the 3-point line in February. L.A. has missed the presence of reliable shooters particularly when it deployed big units with Howard on the court.
And, Howard is likely to play regularly over the next month amid the absence of Anthony Davis, who is nursing a mid-foot sprain and could remain on the sidelines until the final days of the regular season.
Lakers sign Wenyan Gabriel to two-way contract
Athletic forward Wenyen Gabriel will follow Augustin and sign with the Lakers until the end of 2021-22 on a two-way contract.
The 24-year-old will sign with the Purple and Gold after short stints with the Brooklyn Nets and the L.A. Clippers earlier this season.
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