The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to make any trades during the NBA trade deadline and instead had to turn to the buyout market to make any additions that could potentially raise the floor of the team.
One of the team’s reported buyout targets was Goran Dragic, who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs at the deadline before being subsequently bought out. We thought Dragic signing with the Lakers was unlikely and that ended up being true as Dragic signed with the team who pulled off a massive trade at the deadline, the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets traded James Harden and Paul Milsap for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and draft picks and while that seemingly improves the team’s depth, there was still more work to be done. Dragic really helps shore up the backcourt depth in Brooklyn and will help keep the team afloat while its stars sit out.
This is yet another example of the Nets stealing a buyout target from the Lakers.
This is not the first time that the Nets came away with someone who could have fit on the Los Angeles Lakers. The biggest buyout player on the market last season was Blake Griffin, who was bought out by the Detroit Pistons.
Griffin ultimately signed with the Nets and played pretty well in Brooklyn last season. While he has not been as good this year, if he would have produced at the same level in LA then who knows, perhaps they overcome the Anthony Davis injury and don’t blow a 2-1 lead against the Phoenix Suns.
LaMarcus Aldridge was another veteran big man who was bought out last season and could have added nice depth to the Lakers. Despite also signing Griffin, the Nets landed Aldridge as well to keep him away from LA.
Aldridge had to retire before the playoffs began but was able to get medical clearance to return this season. He would have made a lot more sense than DeAndre Jordan, who the Lakers signed after the Nets bought him out, but he decided to return to the Nets.
One of the players included in the deal, Millsap, also could have made sense for the Lakers in free agency last summer. He too spurned LA for Brooklyn, proving that LeBron and Los Angeles may not have the free agent pull that they used to have.
At this point, the Lakers better hope that the Houston Rockets actually buy out Dennis Schroder and that the team can reunite with him. But who knows, the Nets double-dipped on big men last year so they could very well double-dip at guard and steal another buyout target from the Lakers in Schroder.