The Los Angeles Lakers have crashed back down to Earth over the last week, losing two out of their last three games in blowout fashion, including Wednesday night's shellacking at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles still sits at 8-4, but it's clear the team still has a ways to go in order to get to real contender status in the Western Conference.
Recently, the Lakers made a move that could potentially pay dividends with the guard depth at some point down the line.
“The South Bay Lakers plan to acquire former Atlanta Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin, sources told ESPN. Bufkin was the No. 15 pick in the 2023 draft out of the University of Michigan. Bufkin was traded from ATL to BKN and entered the G League pool after being waived last month,” reported ESPN NBA insider Dave McMenamin on X, formerly Twitter.
Bufkin played sporadic minutes during his time in Atlanta, mostly becoming known for his defense rather than offensive playmaking, and as McMenamin mentioned, never got a chance to play for the Nets before being waived.
The Lakers could certainly use some added guard depth in their locker room, considering the fact that Gabe Vincent can't seem to stay healthy, and JJ Redick hasn't shown an abundance of trust in any of Los Angeles' any other guards.
In any case, the Lakers will next take the court on Friday evening on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans. That game is slated to tip off at 8:00 PM ET.
