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The Los Angeles Lakers had the rug pulled out from underneath them when the Mark Williams trade was suddenly rescinded due to issues with the big man's physical. That deal seemingly had fixed the Lakers' problems on the interior after trading away Anthony Davis, but now they must keep looking for help in the middle.
Since the Williams deal was called off after the trade deadline, the Lakers had no chance to make another deal with someone else to try and add that center help that they need. As a result, they will have to resort to the buyout market to find that guy, but they must release someone from their already full roster first. Christian Wood and Cam Reddish are two leading candidates to be released, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
“The Lakers can still waive someone — Wood or Reddish would be the top candidates, team sources said — to create a roster vacancy to bring in another center,” McMenamin wrote. “L.A. still has enough room under the second apron to sign a buyout player, someone making less than $12.8 million with his previous team, for the rest of the season.”
Reddish was originally included in the Williams trade to help match salary, so he makes sense as an option to be released.
Who can the Lakers target on the buyout market?
The buyout market hasn't fully materialized yet, so it's not totally clear what the Lakers' options will be at center at this point. However, there are some quality rotation players who have a chance to be available that they can sign. Rob Pelinka is only able to sign players who were making less than $12.8 million this season, so someone like Jusuf Nurkic would be off limits.
One name that will come up a lot in Los Angeles is Mo Bamba. Bamba's popularity probably outweighs his production at this point in his career, but he is still an intriguing option as someone who can protect the rim and provide some shooting in the front court for this Lakers team.
Daniel Theis is another name that many contenders in need of front court help will be seeking out. He is a veteran piece who can come in and eat minutes at center, work hard on the glass and give your team an element of physicality.
The Lakers would be wise to bring in one of these two if they become available to help supplement a front court that currently consists of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko. If the Lakers can find some extra production from that group, they could be a big threat in the playoffs out west.
