Lakers rumors: 3 more buyout candidates LA can add after Spencer Dinwiddie
The Los Angeles Lakers made the first swing of the buyout market, landing Spencer Dinwiddie as a potential solution to their backup point guard problem. While Dinwiddie figures to absorb a significant role right away, there are still moves to be made. The Lakers are never keen to sit by idly when over-the-hill veterans are available at bargain-bin prices.
That is part jest, part truth. The Lakers let the trade deadline pass without a move, opting against a serious upgrade to the floundering roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Dinwiddie on a minimum contract is strong value, but he's also a subpar 3-point shooter in the middle of his worst season in a decade.
Los Angeles should've sought a more meaningful addition, but there's no point in living in the past. All the Lakers can do is look forward, and that means hammering the buyout market hard. There's a strong chance Dinwiddie isn't the Lakers' only free agent addition in the weeks to come. Not a ton of great options are available, but Rob Pelinka may be able to unearth a back-end rotation piece.
As the Lakers look to turn their season around and get back to contending status, here are a few more buyout candidates worth monitoring.
3. Lakers can reinforce frontcourt with Thaddeus Young
Thaddeus Young was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Spencer Dinwiddie-Dennis Schroder trade, which landed the former on the buyout market. Before the move, Young averaged 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on .621/.167/.417 splits in 15.2 minutes for the Toronto Raptors.
No longer the hyper-malleable two-way talent of yesteryear, Young can still supply positive value in his age-35 season. He's mostly confined to backup center duties at this point, but the 6-foot-8 Young is a physical defender and high-I.Q. processor, capable of spraying passes from the elbow and scoring with creativity in the paint.
He's pretty much a non-entity from 3-point range, but the Lakers can pair Young with versatile offensive bigs, such as Anthony Davis or Christian Wood. The intersection of size and skill has never been more important in professional basketball. Young has lost more than a step, but bigs who can dribble, shoot, and pass — or at least do two of the three at a reasonably high level — tend to hold value.