After a flurry of excellent signings at the beginning of NBA free agency the Los Angeles Lakers roster has sat at 13 players as the front office evaluates what is the next move to make. Los Angeles can bring in two more players and will definitely bring in one before the season starts.
The most obvious need for the Lakers is the center position with general manager Rob Pelinka admitting that the team was active in the center market. That was weeks ago, though, and the current market is depleted. There is not much to get excited about.
That being said, new options are going to start hitting the market as several teams are over 15 rostered players and need to trim down. The first of those new options has officially hit the market and it might just be the best of the potential waived centers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived forward Usman Garuba, team says.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 21, 2023
Thunder waive Usman Garuba, who would be perfect for the Lakers.
Usman Garuba was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this offseason as part of a five-team trade. Garuba was clearly just filler in the trade and it was only a matter of time before the Thunder, who were well over 15 players, waived him.
While Garuba has potential (hence why he makes sense for LA), the Thunder have so much depth in the frontcourt. Garuba was never going to get minutes in OKC and it is surprising that the team even held onto him for this long.
Garuba was selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and he is still only 21 years old. The former Real Madrid big man has not thrived in the NBA thus far but his career has been so short-lived and he has not had the chance to prove himself with the right team.
The Los Angeles Lakers are notorious for getting the most out of players like Garuba and that is what makes him such a compelling fit. At 21 years old he obviously has a lot of room to grow and the Lakers will most likely get more out of him than any other team in the league.
While slightly undersized for a traditional five, Garuba adds the floor-spacing dynamic that the Lakers are looking to add to the frontcourt. He shot over 40% from three last season (albeit in a very small sample size) and showcased the ability to space the floor for Real Madrid. He is by no means a marksman but he certainly can hold his own as an off-ball shooter.
The most exciting part about Garuba’s game is his defensive potential. He has not even scratched the surface of what he is capable of in the NBA and he has already shown some promising signs on the defensive end. If the right team gets ahold of him he truly could blossom into a solid two-way rotation player.
That right team might just be the Lakers.