It took weeks of inactivity but the Los Angeles Lakers finally added to the roster by signing floor-spacing big man Christian Wood. Los Angeles was long rumored to be in the market for a big man who could shoot and Wood fit that billing.
The roster now sits at 14 players with many fans expecting the team to be done with the roster moves. Signing a 15th player is not a necessity and has its benefits; the team can save a bit of cash and can also leave that roster spot open for a buyout candidate in the future.
While that is all true, the Lakers also shouldn’t resist jumping on a great opportunity if it presents itself. That very well just happened as the San Antonio Spurs made the shocking decision to waive guard Cameron Payne, likely as a gesture of good faith so he can join a contender.
The San Antonio Spurs are waiving veteran guard Cam Payne, sources tell ESPN. Payne recently arrived in trade from Suns and now gets a chance to join a contending team that can give him a bigger role. pic.twitter.com/cA13XSxp3j
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 11, 2023
The Lakers are definitely a contending team that can give Payne a good shot at winning his first championship.
Cam Payne makes a lot of sense as D’Angelo Russell insurance for the Lakers.
The hardest sell for Los Angeles is going to be Payne’s role in the rotation. Los Angeles already has D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent on the roster and Payne is not going to get an influx of minutes when that is the case.
That being said, there is a way to work Payne into the lineup with those guards. Los Angeles does not have much shooting guard depth with Austin Reaves and an unproven Max Christie being the only options. Darvin Ham loves to run three-guard lineups, so there is room for Russell to play the two allowing Payne to log some point guard minutes.
That is not the biggest plus of potentially signing Payne, though. The upside lies in him being an insurance plan for D’Angelo Russell. The Lakers made it obvious with Russell’s new contract that he is going to be floated out as trade bait at the deadline. Unless the Lakers get a guard to replace him, they are going to need to fill more point guard minutes.
And that is where Payne could be very valuable. That could be the pitch to Payne, who averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 assists per game; come to the Lakers to play a bigger role when it matters most down the stretch.
Let’s face it: the Lakers are not going to find a buyout candidate that is better than Payne and even if an intriguing name hits the market the team will be able to create space. And as far as Payne goes, the contending options that actually have an open roster spot are slim, so the Lake Show might be his best bet.