Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers did not make a trade at the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday, but the team reportedly plans to be aggressive in the buyout market.
The Lakers are expected to have interest in guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was waived by the Toronto Raptors, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike.
There are several other players that the Lakers could look at on the buyout market as well, including Marcus Morris and Kyle Lowry.
According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Lakers plan to pursue a third star in a trade this coming offseason with three first-round picks that they can move.
While the Lakers had a ton of success last season after shaking things up at the trade deadline, it appears the team did not view that route as the right one this season. Los Angeles has been playing better as of late, winning three games in a row – including two against playoff-caliber teams in the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics – to move 27-25 on the season.
The Lakers hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference ahead of the team’s game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Los Angeles still has some holes on the roster, mainly due to injuries to Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent. Adding a guard like Dinwiddie or Lowry in the buyout market would give the Lakers more depth behind Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.
Last season, Los Angeles entered the playoffs with the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, but the team still advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Right now, the Lakers are just three games back of the No. 7 seed in the West and 3.5 games back of the No. 5 seed.
Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office clearly have confidence in the team right now to still make a playoff push, and Los Angeles should have plenty of assets that it can use this coming offseason to make a bigger move – if the team believes that is necessary.
For now, Lakers fans can monitor to see which veterans are bought out and have a chance to land with Los Angeles this season.
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