The Los Angeles Lakers have less than a week to find roster improvements on the buyout market, their last chance to sign players in 2021-22 season.
L.A. failed to close deals they discussed before the early February trade deadline. Now, the Lakers have until March 1 to make buyout moves if they want the signed players to keep playoff eligibility.
The Purple and Gold have already missed out on veteran playmaker Goran Dragic, who is expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. It appears the Lakers won’t reunite with Dennis Schroder either, as the guard is likely to remain with the Houston Rockets after being traded from the Boston Celtics a couple of weeks ago, per NBA insider Marc Stein:
Dennis Schroder is on course to finish the season in Houston, league sources say.
Neither the Rockets nor Schroder favor a buyout, sources say, with a March 1 deadline looming for any buyout candidate leaguewide to be released to ensure playoff eligibility with his next team.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 22, 2022
Frontcourt options on the buyout market are also getting scarcer. Tristan Thompson has landed on the Chicago Bulls while DeAndre’ Bembry has signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Former Denver Magic forward Garry Harris seems like the overall most attractive option to consider for the Lakers, should the Orlando Magic buy out the 27-year-old’s contract.
Magic Johnson thinks Lakers figured things out before All-Star break
While the Lakers are struggling to strengthen their roster, Magic Johnson believes the team has figured out how to get the most out of their current group. Johnson thought L.A. looked like a different side in the narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 12, before beating the red-hot Utah Jazz last week.
LeBron James recently said the Lakers felt “connected” in the clash against the Warriors for the first time in a while.
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