The Los Angeles Lakers are aware of the fact they need a new backup point guard since the play of Rajon Rondo has gotten increasingly insufficient.
Because of this, they need someone who can dribble the ball and create shots for others when LeBron James isn’t on the floor and one potential fix to this could be D.J. Augustin.
Augustin is in his 11th season with the Magic being his eighth NBA team. Despite the journeyman type of movement Augustin has had in his career, he has actually been a very useful player wherever he goes. While his shooting percentages aren’t high, he averages 10.5 points and 4.8 assists while coming off the bench for the Magic. The Lakers likely have other targets ahead of Augustin (such as Darren Collison), but this would not be a bad way to go if a trade can be made.
The Lakers have reportedly already inquired about Augustin heading into the 2019-20 NBA trade deadline, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy:
The Lakers have inquired about a number of potential veteran backup point guards and one potential target could come onto the trade market in the coming weeks: Orlando guard D.J. Augustin. The Lakers can’t trade a second-round pick until 2023, but the team does have rookie Talen Horton-Tucker, originally drafted by Orlando before he was traded to the Lakers, on hand.
The Lakers would likely be smart to focus on getting Collison if at all possible. While Augustin is a good player and would be better than what the Lakers have now, including Talen Horton-Tucker so early in his career doesn’t feel like the smartest move. Horton-Tucker is a promising young player who many believe was a steal in the 2019 NBA Draft.
If the Lakers can get a backup point guard as good as Collison without having to give up on him, they would have to make sure they do it. Augustin is likely just due diligence from the Lakers as they’re probably inquiring about every backup point guard in the NBA at this point, but Collison should remain the top option.
The next month or so will be very important in terms of the team’s ceiling for the 2019-20 NBA season.
Right now, the Lakers are capable of winning a championship, but there are other teams equally capable like the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks. If they want to separate themselves and become favorites, they’ll need to make a move, particularly at that point guard position.
