2. Kelly Oubre Jr, SF
Kelly Oubre Jr. is currently out of action with a torn ligament in his hand but he should be back for a contender to make a push in the playoffs. Oubre had the surgery in early January and was expected to miss 4-6 weeks so his return to the court should be imminent.
His team, the Charlotte Hornets, has made it pretty clear that they are more interested in their draft position than they are winning games at this point in time. The team essentially gave away Mason Plumlee for free just to get Reggie Jackson and buy him out. One of the team’s promising wing players, Jalen McDaniels, was moved in a four-team trade where Charlotte didn’t get much of anything in return.
Thus, it makes a lot more sense for the small-market Hornets to continue committing to this trend by buying out Oubre. Oubre will instantly become the best overall scoring option on the buyout market, albeit he is not as good as other options from beyond the arc.
Oubre has never been a great three-point shooter and is shooting pretty poorly from three this year (30.8%). However, he is still averaging 20.2 points per game and has proven in the past that he can play a role as a rotation player off the bench.
The Lakers do not need Oubre to be what he is in Charlotte. If he can simply come in and add small forward depth to the roster while being a heat-check option off the bench it would be worth the roster spot.