Last season, one of the most unexpected surprises for the Los Angeles Lakers came in the form of wing Stanley Johnson. The Lakers originally signed Johnson to a 10-day contract and he performed so well that the team would sign him to two more before eventually giving him a two-year deal.
Johnson’s numbers with the Lakers don’t jump off the page as he averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 48 games, 27 of those being starts. But he was a constant source of energy for the team and would often change the course of games with his effort. This past offseason, the Lakers traded Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker to the Utah Jazz for Patrick Beverley and he was subsequently waived by the Jazz and eventually signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
Johnson has now been waived by the Spurs, seemingly opening up the possibility for the Lakers to bring Johnson back considering they have an open roster spot. But according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, league rules prevent the Lakers from signing Johnson:
Confirmed via league sources: The Lakers are unable to claim Stanley Johnson off waivers today or sign him if Johnson clears waivers. He is ineligible to re-sign with the Lakers for one year from last Aug. 24 as a result of being waived by Utah after the Lakers dealt him there.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 14, 2023
The reason for this is that the Lakers remain the last team to trade Johnson, making him ineligible to sign there. Had the Jazz traded him to the Spurs, rather than waiving him, this rule would not apply and the Lakers would be able to sign him should they want to.
It should be noted that there haven’t been any rumors or reports suggesting the Lakers have interest in bringing back Johnson. But with them having an open roster spot after the trade deadline passed, a high-energy wing such as Johnson is a path the front office could have gone down. But ultimately, if the team does decide to scour the buyout market, it will have to be for someone other than Johnson.
Rob Pelinka discusses possibility of Lakers adding someone from the buyout market
And to that point, it is unclear whether the Lakers are even seriously looking to add a player in the buyout market. Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka recently spoke on the possibility and it is far from a guarantee.
Pelinka said that it is no guarantee the front office will sign another player to fill that final roster spot, but if the team sees the opportunity to fill a need and the right player becomes available, they will look into it.
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