The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with Quinn Cook again, making him available for teams to sign for the rest of the season. While some are questioning the move, The Athletic's Shams Charania revealed why the Lakers chose to waive Cook right now.
The Lakers valued Cook, but because of their hard-cap status, this gives the franchise flexibility to play the buyout market. They will be a compelling destination for perspective buyout players. https://t.co/QkQ8Q16SgY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2021
This isn't the first time that the Lakers have released Cook in the past year, as they released him back in November. However, ahead of the 2020-2021 season, after mulling over their other options, Los Angeles re-signed Cook to fill their 15th and final roster spot.
Seeing that Cook is a more than capable three-point shooter, teams around the NBA will likely express interest in signing him. Even though the Lakers loved his contributions to the team, they are prepping themselves to have an opportunity to sign some of the players who could be bought out soon.
The release of Cook gives Los Angeles two open roster spots, giving them a chance to add some much-needed help moving forward. With the injury to Anthony Davis, the Lakers have struggled recently, losing four out of their past five games, including an overtime loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday.
In all likeliness, Los Angeles is looking for aid in the frontcourt ahead of the trade deadline and with buyouts. The Lakers have been rumored as a team that could pursue DeMarcus Cousins from the Houston Rockets.
Besides Cousins, guys like JaVale McGee and Blake Griffin could be bought out by their respective teams. Despite Los Angeles wanting to keep Cook around, the Lakers believe freeing up roster spots can help them stop the bleeding that has occurred sans Davis recently.
Follow Us
Subscribe