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.
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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.