The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t able to complete any transactions before the NBA Trade Deadline this year, which some people found surprising. Given the struggles of the team this season, many expected them to make some deals ahead of the deadline, but there has to be someone willing to take part with you and no team emerged.
That left the buyout market as the last chance for Los Angeles to upgrade their roster. But, given the current state of the team, they aren’t nearly as attractive of a landing spot as in years past.
Normally, the players who hit the buyout market are veterans leaving losing teams looking to chase a ring. The Lakers, at least this season, are a losing team that isn’t close to contending. Yet, they were linked to numerous veterans thus far and have agreed to a deal with one.
The Lakers are signing point guard DJ Augustin for the remainder of the season and bought out DeAndre Jordan to clear a roster spot. This isn’t an Earth-shattering move by any means, but one that should at least help a little bit on the court.
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Jordan hasn’t been an effective player in years. The Brooklyn Nets benched him at the end of the 2020-21 regular season and he didn’t see the court for a second in the postseason despite their lack of size up front. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a salary dump and subsequently bought out.
He landed with the Los Angeles Lakers after that and they quickly realized what the Nets had; DeAndre Jordan had nothing impactful left to give. He was the starting center at the beginning of the season but quickly saw his role reduced before being bought out this week to make room for Augustin.
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Augustin is a good fit for what the Lakers need. He is the exact opposite of Russell Westbrook, as Augustin isn’t going to attack the rim much. Instead, he will be on the perimeter as a 3-point shooter, which is a much better fit alongside LeBron James.
Augustin is a career 38 percent shooter from 3-point range and was connecting on 40.6 percent with the Houston Rockets this season before he was waived. In addition to that shooting, Augustin is a solid playmaker, helping set the table for his teammates and taking some of the pressure off of LeBron James.
Having another playmaker is something that players such as Carmelo Anthony and Malik Monk will benefit from as well. With Kendrick Nunn still sidelined, the second unit has lacked a point guard for a majority of the season, but Augustin can now fill that void.
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This move isn’t going to make the Los Angeles Lakers contenders, but it should certainly help them win a few more games. They have needed another option in the backcourt all season and DJ Augustin should be a good fit for what they are looking for.
