The Los Angeles Lakers did not make a single trade at the NBA trade deadline and while that might be disappointing to fans, it was ultimately the right move by the team.
The Lakers reportedly could have traded Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for John Wall. As frustrating as Westbrook has been as a Laker, compounding a bad move with another bad move is bad basketball and the Lakers are better off staying patient and waiting for the buyout market.
There are several potential buyout candidates that the Lakers should be keeping tabs on but there is already a released player that the Lakers should jump all over. LA is not going to land a huge role player at this point in the year but they have the potential to sign someone who could truly have a positive impact on the team for the rest of the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers should instantly sign DeAndre’ Bembry after being released by the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets needed to make roster space after the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. DeAndre’ Bembry became the causality of the trade as he now hits the open market as a free agent.
Bembry is obviously not a big name and he is not going to come in and significantly raise the ceiling of the team. That being said, he is exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need in a role player and missing out on such a good fit would be an absolute shame.
The Lakers have lacked wing depth all season, and in particular, have significantly lacked defensive wing depth. Carmelo Anthony cannot play defense, Kent Bazemore has been absolutely horrendous and Trevor Ariza is nowhere close to what the Lakers needed him to be.
Stanley Johnson was a welcome addition but the Lakers should be looking to add even more defensive wing depth considering they rank 27th in points per game.
Bembry is an above-average defensive wing. He has posted a positive Defensive Box Plus/Minus in every year of his six-year career and has a 1.3 DBPM this season. Bembry ranks 43rd (min. 900 minutes) in the NBA in NBA Math’s Defensive Points Saved statistic, which puts him in the 80th percentile in the NBA.
He is a zero on the offensive side of the ball but we have seen the Lakers utilize these defensive-first role players and maximize their offensive output. Alex Caruso was a zero on the offensive end and turned into an off-ball three-point shooter who could bury 2-3 threes per game.
His overall career numbers are low but Bembry is shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc in 0.8 threes per game. All he needs to do is take 2-3 shots in the 15-20 minutes that he would get off of the bench while supplying good defense. The Lakers do not need another scorer that needs to handle the ball. Put him alongside Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony as a defensive presence and it would work out perfectly.
Bembry makes perfect sense for the Los Angeles Lakers and the team would be much better of waiving someone like Bazemore to make room for Bembry on the roster.