The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster looks a lot better, or at least a lot more balanced and cohesive, after the three deals they made in the final hours before last Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
At least on paper, they have more outside shooting, forward depth, a legitimate two-way center other than Anthony Davis and a point guard, D’Angelo Russell, who is a much better fit than Russell Westbrook.
But by no means do the Lakers have a complete roster.
They could use another legitimate 3-and-D wing, as well as one more center who can defend and rebound.
Now that the trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, teams are waiving players they deem superfluous, creating a buyout market that has some interesting bit players.
Los Angeles has one open roster spot available, and it could fill the spot with a player on the buyout market.
These five players could help the Lakers a little if they want to sign with the Purple and Gold.
Serge Ibaka
Ibaka, who is 33 years of age, isn’t quite the one-man shot-blocking army he was years ago with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But in limited minutes, he could perhaps give L.A. some defense and rebounding while sticking the occasional 3-pointer.
The Lakers could use another true center, especially if they eventually decide to start new acquisition Mo Bamba at the 5 and move Anthony Davis to the 4.
Will Barton
Barton, who is 32 years of age, has had a reputation as a good defender over the years. While he may not be as adept defensively as he used to be, he is still a good percentage 3-point threat who shot 38 percent from downtown and 48 percent from the corners in 40 games for the Washington Wizards this season.
At 6-foot-6, he could perhaps be a stopgap solution for the Lakers.
Stanley Johnson
How about bringing back someone who has already played with LeBron James and Anthony Davis?
Johnson appeared in 48 games, starting 27 of them, last season for the Lakers, and he was a small breath of fresh air for a team that was gasping for help at both forward positions.
While he wasn’t exactly a world-beater, he showed a willingness to play defense and use his 6-foot-6, 242-pound frame to his advantage.
This season, he has apparently added a 3-point shot. He hit 45% from beyond the arc while taking 1.3 attempts in 15.6 minutes a game for the San Antonio Spurs so far this year.
Kevin Love
Love hasn’t been bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but there has been speculation he may be, especially after he was removed from their rotation and hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 24.
He isn’t much of a defensive presence, but he is still a good rebounder and solid 3-point shooter, not to mention a very good outlet passer who could ignite the Lakers’ potent fast break.
Of course, Love was teammates with James for four years, and there is always the possibility, especially given the pull James has with the Lakers’ personnel moves, that he will try to get them to bring in the 6-foot-8 big man.
Nerlens Noel
Noel is another center that hasn’t been bought out yet, but the Detroit Pistons could possibly do so in the near future.
The Lakers reportedly had some interest in him when they were talking to the Pistons about trying to acquire sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic.
Noel hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations of being the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and his playing time has fallen off a cliff this season.
But if he were to become available, and if he were to have interest in coming to L.A., he could give it some rim protection and rebounding, even if it were merely on a “break glass in case of emergency” basis.
However, it should be noted Noel recently filed a lawsuit against Rich Paul, who runs Klutch Sports, which used to represent the center. The $58 million civil case was dismissed by a judge about five months ago.
