3 Lakers who are playing for their jobs in the NBA Playoffs

1. Mo Bamba

Mo Bamba was not included in the massive Russell Westbrook trade but he was still a solid deadline acquisition for the Los Angeles Lakers. After Thomas Bryant demanded a trade for more playing time (that didn’t really work out), the Lakers decided to trade Patrick Beverley and a second-round pick for Mo Bamba.

This looked like a tremendous trade for the Lake Show on paper. Because of his ability to protect the rim on defense but stretch the floor on offense, Bamba had the potential to be a discount version of Myles Turner for the purple and gold.

That never really materialized in Los Angeles, though. Darvin Ham did not experiment with any Anthony Davis-Bamba lineups with Bamba only getting huge minutes when Davis did not play. Funny enough, the former lottery pick was very good in those games!

However, he then sprained his ankle and did not return to the fold until right before the end of the regular season. By then, it was too late for Bamba to really carve out a role in the rotation and he was a DNP in the play-in.

All signs are pointing to the Lakers getting off of Bamba’s non-guaranteed salary of over $10 million next season but that could change if Bamba actually gets a chance to play and proves that he adds real value to the team.