Los Angeles Lakers: 4 potential buyout targets to avoid at all costs

By Jason Reed | Feb 16, 2022

HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 05: D.J. Augustin #14 of the Houston Rockets dribbles the ball during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center on December 5, 2021 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

4. Enes Freedom

Enes Freedom is the only player on this list that (at the time of writing this) has actually been bought out by his new team. Freedom was traded alongside Dennis Schroder to the Houston Rockets and while Schroder has played for the Rockets, Freedom was quickly bought out.

Now, there are multiple reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers would probably never sign Freedom. First is for the same reasons as the team not signing Tristan Thompson. The Lakers do not need another big when they can just give Dwight Howard more minutes. Freedom is no better than Howard and the team does not need two bigs.

However, I will give Freedom credit, he is better than Tristan Thompson. So if the Lakers are really entranced with the idea of signing a big man, maybe they should sign Freedom over Thompson.

That would never happen though because of Freedom’s weird beef with LeBron James. Freedom has been very critical of LeBron in the past and LeBron obviously has a big say on who the Lakers are going to bring in.

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Heck, with everything that Freedom has said I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned down the Lakers even if they were the only team offering him a contract. That is the status of this weird beef between him and LeBron.

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