Although the Los Angeles Lakers stood pat at the 2019-20 NBA trade deadline, they are expected to improve their roster via the buyout market.
While much of the attention was on Darren Collison, he ultimately decided not to return for his 11th season despite attending the Houston Rockets game.
As Collison was viewed as a good fit, the Lakers are now shifting their attention to players who are becoming available heading into March 1.
The Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers reportedly are expected to check in on Tyler Johnson now, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated:
Tyler Johnson is out there, with the Lakers and Clippers expected to check in with him.
Johnson was recently waived by the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 9 after just 44 appearances with them, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
The Phoenix Suns are waiving guard Tyler Johnson, league sources told ESPN.
Johnson, 27, is in the final year of a four-year deal and is still owed $7 million of his $19.25 million contract for the 2019-20 season.
As it currently stands, there is not really one player who addresses the team’s needs. While Johnson is capable of playing both the guard positions, his three-point shooting has fallen off with the Suns (30.2 percent shooting).
Along with Johnson, the Lakers have been linked with Dion Waiters and JR Smith. As Smith has not played an NBA game since Nov. 11, 2019, Waiters was suspended three different times this season before being traded/waived.
With the Lakers still in need of a backup point guard and wing defender, there should be more players available in the next two weeks. However, it will be a challenge for them to decide on who they should waive to clear roster spot(s).
