1 month ago
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The Los Angeles Lakers have been in an interesting spot with their roster, as they are one player over the allowed limit. The Lakers had a very busy offseason, bringing in a ton of new faces from last season.
LA made several trades and signings this summer that put them over the roster limit. They have some guys they are considering waiving if it comes to that point.
“Clearly, the Lakers need to dump someone, and I think it's going to be one of three players," Lakers insider Jovan Buha said. "It's going to either be Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy, or Bronny James."
There are a couple of ways the Lakers can let go of those players, either by trading or waiving them. Buha believes that LA will likely trade Knecht and Hardy in a consolidation deal.
“My understanding is a consolidation trade. Obviously, it would be two-for-one, three-for-one, or three-for-two is a little more complicated," Buha said. "So I think the most straightforward one would be two-for-one…And depending on the configuration of the trade, it could be a version of two of the back-end guys, let's say Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy, for a backup center."
It turns out that the Lakers have already been looking around for potential deals. NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that LA passed on a trade for veteran shooter Buddy Hield.
“Sources told ClutchPoints that the Lakers have been exploring consolidation trades in recent weeks, including the opportunity to trade for Buddy Hield that they decided not to pursue,” Siegel wrote.
Obviously, it is very unclear what would have had to be given up, but it would have brought in a nice shooter. Also, the Lakers looking for another big man could very well be the reason they decided not to pursue the deal.
Hield is currently on a $37 million contract. LA is going to have some fun scanning the market over the next couple of weeks. They passed on this one, but it is clear they won’t be passing on the right one.
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