Los Angeles Lakers: Traded players who could now be buyout targets

The Los Angeles Lakers did not make any trades at the NBA trade deadline and it was a tad bit shocking. Not only does the team have holes that could have been fixed via trade, but the Lakers are looking to hold on to a decent playoff spot while Anthony Davis and LeBron James are injured.

The Lakers have lost four games in a row without AD and LeBron and not only have they lost, but they have not really even looked that competitive. There have been glimpses, sure, but this is a team that could legitimately fall to the play-in in the Western Conference.

Any team can lose two games in a row. The Los Angeles Lakers should avoid the play-in at all costs.

The Los Angeles Lakers can still make improvements, though.

The buyout market is officially the talk of the NBA and the Lakers are naturally going to be the frontrunners for several players because of their star power. We already know the big names, such as Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge, both of which have been expected to be bought out for weeks.

There is a new crop of players that represents new targets for the purple and gold. These players were traded at the NBA trade deadline to a team that does not really need their services, and thus, could buy out said player to save some money.

There are several examples of this. Today, we bring you four recently-traded players who could become buyout targets for the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are two players who were traded and seem to be buyout candidates. Personally, I do not see these two potential buyout players actually getting bought out.

• Austin Rivers: Under contract for two more years (non-guaranteed) and the Thunder rarely buy players out as is. They will look to get something for Rivers in the future.
• Rodney Hood: With no Kyle Lowry trade, the Raptors might as well go for it and try and make some noise as a play-in team.

Let’s get into the recently-traded players who now could be buyout targets for the Los Angeles Lakers.