The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to get a trade done at the NBA trade deadline and now the focus of the team is going to shift to the buyout market. There are several early candidates for the Lakers (including Dennis Schroder and Goran Dragic) that could give the team some kind of shot in the arm as they try to make the playoffs.
One thing the Lakers also were not able to do was trade players away to open up roster spots for these buyout players. Now, if the Lakers want to make a signing, they are going to have to release someone to make room.
This is important for the Lakers because the team is way over the luxury-tax threshold. The Lakers still have to pay the salaries of whoever they release on top of the salary that they pay the new signing. That hits the luxury tax twice, making the Lakers pay more useless money.
Which Los Angeles Lakers players will be the first to leave?
The Lakers will likely bring in one, maybe two buyout signings. If the team was really smart and was not pinching pennies then they would bring in three guys, including a talented wing that the Brooklyn Nets just released.
That means that we have to pinpoint three candidates to be released to make room on the roster. That is exactly what we did, and we present them to you in order of likelihood.