A big three-team trade took place in the NBA as the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks and sent Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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There were apparently other teams interested in Waiters and according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Los Angeles Lakers were among them:
Lakers were among teams that had tried to get Waiters. Cle wasn't looking for just salary relief tho & Shump more valuable than Sacre
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 6, 2015
Adding Waiters to this roster would have been slightly odd as Waiters has a skill set that is very similar to Nick Young. Waiter, Young and Kobe Bryant on the same team would have been interesting to watch to say the least.
It is unknown exactly everything that the Lakers offered, but the Cavaliers had shown previous interest in Robert Sacre, so it made sense that the Lakers would try to make a move.
More would have had to be included as Waiters makes $4 million this season and Sacre is at less than $1 million. Waiters also has another year of guaranteed money, so the move would have eaten into the Lakers’ cap space next summer.
The Lakers have been extremely busy during the season so far. They had discussions with the Boston Celtics about Rajon Rondo, and added Tarik Black through waivers. The team has numerous avenues to improve the team and they seem to be exhausting all options at this time.
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