3 Los Angeles Lakers players who won’t be back next season
By Scott Rogust
1. Wesley Matthews
The Lakers, as mentioned earlier, have a ton of questions to answer. Perhaps the largest is the status of Andre Drummond, the man who joined Los Angeles after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers. During an appearance on “The Lowe Post” podcast, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin says that the Lakers “have signaled to everyone listening” that they view Drummond as “part of the future moving forward with this franchise.”
With Drummond in their plans, point guard Dennis Schroder due for a new contract and Montrezl Harrell having a player option for next season, that does not leave much room for guard Wesley Matthews to return to the organization.
After a one-season stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers signed Matthews to a one-year deal. Matthews’ playing time dropped this campaign, where he averaged just 4.8 points per game in 58 appearances (10 starts), while owning a field-goal percentage of 35.3.
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Matthews played in the first five games against the Suns, but earned his lone start in Game 4 with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out with a knee injury. In 25 minutes, Matthews posted 6 points (2-for-5 from the field), 2 rebounds and a plus/minus of minus-15. In Game 5, Matthews recorded just 5 points in 22 minutes, while fellow shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker logged a double-double (11 points, 11 assists) in 16 minutes.
With Horton-Tucker being viewed as untouchable by the Lakers, it is only a matter of time before he gets more playing time. That should spell the end of Matthews’ time with the team.