Lakers have new buyout target after Rockets-Thunder trade
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers roster is mostly set in stone with a few additions that the team can make before the 2022-23 season begins. There is both a roster spot as well as the ability to maneuver players around in order to bring in external help if someone makes sense for the team.
We know that a Russell Westbrook trade, or probably any trade for that matter, won’t happen before the 2022-23 season begins. It would take a massive new development for that to happen and Lakers fans should not hold their breath.
The team could bring in external help in free agency and there might be a new buyout target hitting the market in the near future after a trade between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The trade involved eight players in total and revolved around the cap.
Cap-centric deal for both teams: Thunder gain two trade exceptions and drop about $10M under luxury tax. Rockets get a second-round pick for taking on $1M in salary. Favors will have value as a backup center, or elsewhere on a trade in marketplace too. https://t.co/k8zpgthwOh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 30, 2022
The potential new buyout target in question for the Lakers is Favors, who Woj named as a potential trade chip for the Rockets. While a team could trade for Favors, his $10 million contract does make him less appealing. Considering he was just included in a salary-dump trade, he probably does not have much trade value.
Derrick Favors would have value to the Los Angeles Lakers as a buyout signing.
Derrick Favors would not be a perfect fit on this Los Angeles Lakers roster but when it comes to what the team can actually do to improve, he becomes a lot more intriguing. There are not many good options and Favors would actually add a new dynamic to the roster.
Favors would slot in as the team’s backup power forward and quite frankly, would be a better person for the team than Wenyen Gabriel. Gabriel is a four/five player mold as well but he cannot shoot and isn’t very menacing as a center. Favors can at least provide some floor spacing and would play better either as a small-ball center or with Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.
Favors cannot shoot threes but he has a decent mid-range jumper. On top of that, Favors is a valuable veteran defensive big and would give the team someone with size that can actually defend in the frontcourt besides Davis.
Offensively he might not add that big of a spark but he has always been fairly decent in the pick-and-roll game and that could work nicely with either LeBron James or Russell Westbrook running the point of attack. There is at least some potential there in that regard.
Most importantly, it would provide more depth and would be someone with experience that is more talented than the other free-agent offerings that are available right now. For that reason, Favors has to be considered if he is indeed bought out.