The Los Angeles Lakers and the majority of the league have remained in a holding pattern since Kevin Durant’s trade demand hit the headlines. The news brought new life to the Kyrie Irving to the Lakers rumors and has given the Lakers hope they can still make a splash this offseason.
What few moves the team has made have been all about getting younger and better defensively. Adding players around LeBron James and Anthony Davis who will move without the ball and play defense. Often defense appeared optional for the team last season and it is obvious the team’s priority is to change that.
Russell Westbrook remains a big question mark on the roster and the team continues to wait for the Nets to make a decision on Durant and Irving. When that happens the team should be expected to make a final flurry of roster moves whether or not they end up acquiring either player.
The Lakers roster is far from complete but in a holding pattern until the team determines if there is a blockbuster trade to be had. When they do make that final decision, however, there are notable Lakers who are expendable if the team has the need to create an extra roster spot this offseason.
The most disposable players on the Los Angeles Lakers:
1. Stanley Johnson
There was a point last season when Stanley Johnson had an argument as not only the Lakers’ best player off the bench but their best player outside of the big three. For a stretch, Johnson knocked down his shots and stood out by simply making an effort on the defensive side. While he was a key contributor for the team down the stretch last season the Lakers acquired far better options to fill the role Johnson had last season.
If the team needs to create a roster spot Johnson’s name will likely be near the top of the list. The forward finished last season with 6.7-points per game averaging 46% from the field with most of his value coming in his defensive energy off the bench.
The Lakers won’t hesitate to move on from Johnson if the team finds an upgrade or needs a roster spot in a potential blockbuster trade. Not only is his upside very limited but he serves as a reminder of a team that was a complete and utter failure down the stretch last season unable to hold off the Pelicans from claiming the play-in spot and falling into irrelevance and letting a number of very winnable games slip away.
2. Wenyen Gabriel
The fact the Los Angeles Lakers had Wenyen Gabriel and Stanley Johnson as two of their largest contributors down the stretch last season speaks to just how poorly constructed the roster was.
Injuries and Russell Westbrook deserve a lot of the blame. However, there shouldn’t be any question that the Lakers front office and LeBron James deserve some culpability for the players they recruited and the end result.
Gabriel is still on the roster despite there being obvious upgrades still on the market in free agency. One would think this is simply because the team is waiting for the Kyrie and Durant decisions to happen and not a belief that Gabriel can be a contributor next season.
Defensively Gabriel puts in effort but lacks the size to protect the paint or the speed to consistently stop perimeter threats. Offensively he is a below-average shooter whose baskets will often come from the opposing defense ignoring him.
He isn’t a perimeter threat and won’t fit well in a LeBron James and Anthony Davis-driven offense if the right player comes available he is certainly an expendable piece on the Los Angeles Lakers roster.
3. Kendrick Nunn
After a year of rehabbing and away from basketball it is fair to wonder if Nunn can have any impact on the Lakers this season. The guard was expected to be a perimeter threat and a consistent source of offense when LeBron needed to go to the bench.
Instead, Nunn suffered a setback and never took the court for the Lakers last season perhaps that is for the better when you consider the positive impact Nunn could still potentially have. Nunn still has not been cleared for five-on-five action.
What makes Nunn an expendable part of this roster and a possible trade chip makes him intriguing as well. In two seasons with Miami Nunn averaged 15.0-points and shot the ball deep with consistency.
While there is an argument he could be a wild-card contributor the Lakers should keep him on the roster his potential value financially in a trade will make him expendable if the Lakers find a blockbuster that brings another star to L.A. or sends Westbrook off the roster.
If the Lakers start the season with Nunn he will be one of the more interesting players to watch early on. Expectations should be low considering his lack of playing time over the last two years. However, his track record does indicate once healthy he could have a big impact on the team.
4. Talen Horton-Tucker
Whoever believed Talen Horton-Tucker was the player this roster needed to keep over Alex Caruso deserves to be fired. Horton-Tucker has run his own trade value into the ground with inconsistent play and an inability to make good on the potential he showed early on with the Lakers. Caruso would be far more valuable to this team and a player the team shouldn’t have considered parting ways with.
However, there is no going back in time Talen is a part of the roster and Caruso is playing the same role he did with the Lakers in Chicago.
Horton-Tucker is currently the fourth highest-paid Laker on the roster and is without question an expendable piece if he is needed in a trade to make salaries work out. The team should be ready to part ways with Talen and hope a fresh start helps bring back the promise he showed early on with the team.
3 early in-season buyout targets for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers need any help they can get this season and thus, the team should already be preparing for potential buyout targets.
With Talen’s current cap number sitting at $10.2-million the team is going to have to find a willing trade partner if they hope to move on from the forward. Unlike Gabriel or Johnson, Talen cannot simply be cut the team would have to find the right trade if they hope to move off Horton-Tucker this offseason.