The Los Angeles Lakers faced several difficult decisions during the offseason, aiming to improve their roster ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. Among them, L.A. traded Danny Green and the No. 28 pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Dennis Schroder.
Although Green did not emerge as the lethal sharpshooter many expected him to be, his championship pedigree and impeccable work ethic undeniably contributed to the team’s success last season.
The guard was also a force on the defensive end, often doing the dirty work that could sometimes go unnoticed. Following a flurry of trades, Green ended up on the Philadelphia 76ers with the move made official only earlier this week.
The three-time NBA champion then bid farewell to his former team on Instagram, thanking the organization, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles. “We had one job and we made it happen,” he wrote. “I’ll never forget my time as part of the #Lakeshow and I have all of you to thank for it.”
Soon after rumors emerged that Green had been traded, Lakers All-Star LeBron James quickly posted a goodbye social media post in a tribute to the 33-year-old guard and Quinn Cook, who had been waived but since then returned to the team.
Green reunites with former Lakers teammate Dwight Howard in Philadelphia. Howard signed a one-year minimum deal with the 76ers in bizarre circumstances, having announced his return to L.A. earlier that day. It later turned out his blunder was caused by a miscommunication with the Lakers front office.
Cook reportedly signed a non-guaranteed contract for training camp
The Lakers re-signed Cook a couple of weeks after waiving him, keeping the player while saving money against the hard cap. He was believed to have signed a veteran deal, but reports claim his contract was a non-guaranteed training camp deal that did not count against the team’s cap.
Cook’s contract will become fully guaranteed if he remains with the team by a later date. He has not yet joined teammates in training camp practices due to coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols but should be available from Thursday onward.
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