The Los Angeles Lakers made just two moves from the beginning of the 2019-20 NBA season until now.
Their first was signing Markieff Morris by waiving of DeMarcus Cousins and their second was waiving Troy Daniels in favor of Dion Waiters.
While Waiters never got a chance to play a game prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Lakers and Daniels agreed on him being waived so he could sign with a playoff team. He played a single game for the Denver Nuggets before the league’s suspension.
Now, reflecting on his time with the Lakers, Daniels spoke about the ‘unbelievable feeling’ that came with playing in Los Angeles, according to Mark Berman of The Roanoke Times:
“It’s something that you always dream about as a little kid,” Daniels said. “For you to actually be there in the midst of those greats and being in that type of organization, it was an unbelievable feeling each and every day.”
Daniels discussed how player-centric the Lakers organization is run, which is far different from any other NBA team:
“The Lakers organization ran totally different than a lot of organizations as far as the way they catered to the players, the way the players have a say-so in everyday stuff that we do. … The type of media attention that you get when you’re with that organization is unbelievable.”
The Lakers front office — led by owner Jeanie Buss — has always been known to treat their players well. The Buss have run the Lakers like a family organization for decades and players feel that bond when they play in Los Angeles, even if only for a short time.
Even Daniels — who played minimal minutes for just over half a season and was waived — had only positive things to say about the organization. And even though he didn’t play much, Daniels seemed to enjoy his time with the Lakers.
Should the NBA season resume, Daniels will spend the rest of it with the Nuggets. They are also slated to make a deep 2020 NBA playoff run depending on seeding.