The Los Angeles Lakers opted to stand pat during the NBA trade deadline, which expired on Feb. 8. While coach Darvin Ham and the front office already like the roster they have, the Lakers apparently decided to make a change anyway, but it won’t cost them any draft picks in the process.
Related: NBA MVP race
While the Lakers didn’t make any trades, plenty of others did. In some of these transactions, we saw highly capable players get sent to teams that aren’t ready to compete for a playoff spot, which usually leads to many buyouts. Now, the Lakers are getting involved too.
Spencer Dinwiddie signing with Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers
Spencer Dinwiddie was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline. He has since been released, allowing any team to pick up the remainder of what’s left from Dinwiddie’s $18.8 salary.
However, there isn’t a contender out there with that much cap space, which means Dinwiddie is expected to clear waivers and become a free agent. Yet, he won’t be available for long.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Dinwiddie is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as he clears waivers.
Dinwiddie can provide more of a scoring punch for the Lakers backcourt, as he’s averaging 12.6 points per game, while also contributing six assists per game. Yet, one area where he’s struggled is perimeter shooting, as Dinwiddie’s hitting shots from distance at just a 32% clip, not far off from his 33% career average.
Either way, taking a chance on Dinwiddie via free agency is much better than parting with valuable trade assets for the Lakers, and now he’ll have a chance to join a contending team making a push for the playoffs.
