For the Los Angeles Lakers and all NBA 30 teams, March 1 is the final deadline to waive player(s) so they are still eligible to play in the NBA playoffs.
As it is an opportunity for contenders to improve their rosters and for lottery-bound teams to improve their chances of landing the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, the Lakers waived DeMarcus Cousins and signed Markieff Morris.
Although the Lakers have a full roster, they have been linked to numerous backcourt players like Dion Waiters, JR Smith, and Tyler Johnson so far.
In a not so surprising move, the Lakers reportedly will waive Troy Daniels to create a roster spot now, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Lakers will waive G Troy Daniels, agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Two sides had been working together to find a solution that will give Daniels an opportunity elsewhere, and also give Lakers an open roster spot into March.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 1, 2020
Bartelstein tells ESPN: "Rob (Pelinka) and Kurt (Rambis) were fantastic in giving Troy optionality based upon all the scenarios that could play out in the coming weeks." https://t.co/PfS8H3Y8Yn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 1, 2020
While the Lakers are set to meet with Waiters on March 2, there are no imminent plans to sign a player, but they wanted to create flexibility:
As Vogel told reporters, Lakers have no imminent plans to add another player. They still plans to meet w/ Dion Waiters, per source, but now Lakers can react should an injury occur, or perhaps add another ballhandling guard/playmaker later. Rob Pelinka plans to take his time.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 1, 2020
In 41 games, Daniels averaged 4.2 points (39.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the three-point line) in 11.1 minutes. While the 28 year old played well when given minutes, this allows him a chance to play elsewhere.
For the Lakers, they are still in need of a backup point guard and wing defender. While there is no one player that currently stands out, having a roster spot available could be important heading into the 2020 NBA playoffs.