Wesley Matthews
Off the back of the Danny Green trade that sent Green to the 76ers and Schröder to the Lakers in a 3-team trade, the Lakers moved quickly and secured the services of a veteran 3-point shooter and defender Wesley Matthews.
The only thing that hampered Danny Green from the off-set was his contract. Paying so much for a player, Lakersnation expected consistent results and performances. Danny Green did not deliver that.
Matthews signed for the purple and gold for the Bi-Annual Exception. A modest $3.6m salary that would remove the same level of expectation that was landed on Danny Green’s shoulders.
To a certain extent, that has been true, but the same problem has occurred with Matthews that Green faced, he simply is not consistent from game to game.
The fact that the purple and gold were in the market for another 3 and D player in the buyout market does not bode well for Matthew’s long-term future with the purple and gold.
If Matthews is willing to continue to play a similar role to what he has now for the veteran minimum then there is a place for him on this Lakers roster.
Some team will give him more than the Vet minimum and his stint with the purple and gold will be capped at one season.
A pleasant yet unspectacular season to date.
Alfonzo McKinnie
With all due respect to Alfonzo McKinnie, I’m going to keep this short and sweet.
McKinnie while he hasn’t been bad for the Lakers by any stretch of the imagination, he was a makeweight for a deal that would allow for the purple and gold to afford Marc Gasol on the roster.
With the Lakers feeling the squeeze of the hard cap, it would have been foolish to release a player when you realistically don’t have the money to replace him.
McKinnie served a purpose for the purple and gold. He was ready when he was called upon and in limited minutes, he didn’t look too bad.
However, it is fair to say that the purple and gold will cut ties with McKinnie and not guarantee the next two years of his contract.
A cup of coffee with the Los Angeles Lakers is all Alfonzo will get. Hopefully, he can go on to another franchise and show what he can truly do.