The Los Angeles Lakers made their second post-trade deadline move by signing Dion Waiters for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Los Angeles waived Troy Daniels on March 1 to make room and signed Waiters after a workout and meeting with general manager Rob Pelinka and others.
Waiters fills an immediate need as a player who can get his own shot when LeBron James isn’t in the game. And at 6’4″ and 215 pounds, Waiters should be able to defend some bench wings on other contending teams. With this signing and Markieff Morris, the Lakers filled two of their biggest needs.
However, Los Angeles reportedly isn’t officially done making moves as they may be in the market for a shooter like J.R. Smith, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
After reaching an agreement to sign Dion Waiters, the Lakers continue to monitor the market for a shooter, such as J.R. Smith, sources say. Smith worked out for the Lakers on Monday, according to sources. L.A. would need to release someone to create roster space for Smith.
While Smith would be a fit on this team as a solid shooter and someone who has played extensive time alongside James, the Lakers would have to waive another player in order to sign him or anyone else.
The two obvious choices to be waived are one of Jared Dudley or Quinn Cook, but Dudley provides a steady veteran presence that has been highly appreciated by the team this season. And Cook, while not a substantial player, does provide arguably just as much as Smith.
The Lakers do have time to make this decision as Smith is playoff eligible so long as he is signed by the last day of the regular season (April 15). However, the Lakers would benefit to make this decision sooner rather than later to avoid any chemistry issues and to ensure a more seamless transition.
At this point, any moves the Lakers make will be on the fringe with minimal playing time at stake but the sooner the roster is finalized, the better.