Matt Ryan’s inspirational stint with the Los Angeles Lakers turned out to be a short-lived one as L.A. waived the forward earlier this week.
The Lakers decided to part ways with Ryan in order to open up a roster spot ahead of Dec. 15 — when players who changed teams in the offseason become trade-eligible again. The 25-year-old made 12 appearances for the Purple and Gold this season, averaging 3.9 points in 10.8 minutes per game.
But Ryan doesn’t appear to be holding a grudge after L.A.’s decision to cut him. The forward tweeted a thank you message earlier this week, showing appreciation for the opportunity to play for the Lakers:
Nothing but gratitude for the city of LA and the @Lakers ! Any opportunity to play in the NBA, let alone for this franchise, is special. Thank you. Now I’m excited for whatever is next!
— Matt Ryan (@Matt_Ryan04) December 1, 2022
The Lakers signed Ryan after he emerged as one of the better shooters on the roster in the offseason. And he proved his shooting skills after the 2022-23 campaign started, knocking down 37.1% of his triples on 2.9 attempts per game for the Purple and Gold.
And Ryan will forever remember the buzzer-beater 3 he made in the early November matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans that sent the game to overtime — allowing L.A. to secure a win in the following five minutes of extra time.
“This is definitely the biggest shot of my life so far,” he said after the game.
Ryan went from going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft to working as a food delivery driver, to playing professional basketball for the Boston Celtics (in one 2021-22 appearance) and the Lakers.
And after displaying his shooting skills this year, his NBA career might not be over yet.
Lakers ‘had internal discussions’ about trading Russell Westbrook for Bull’s DeMar DeRozan & Nikola Vucevic
Waiving Ryan suggests the Lakers are getting ready for some roster reshuffling. Rumors claim L.A. has had “internal discussions” about trading Russell Westbrook for Chicago Bulls duo DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic earlier this season.
However, the Lakers are now believed to be leaning toward making a smaller trade involving Patrick Beverley or Kendrick Nunn for the time being.
Still, the Purple and Gold could reportedly reconsider moving Westbrook ahead of the February trade deadline — in addition to exchanging Beverley and Nunn for role players that would fit better with this year’s roster.
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