The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be active after the NBA trade deadline on February 6th, although teams can still make transactions after that day.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers are likely to eliminate at least one more player before the regular season concludes.
I don’t see the Lakers waiving more than two players, even though they are technically able to. If there are two, it’s probably going to be Alex Len and Cam Reddish, according to Buha’s most recent podcast.
He also noted that there are still two years remaining on Shake Milton’s non-guaranteed contract, which could be helpful for upcoming deals. Markieff Morris is a seasoned presence in the locker room who is respected by the team, particularly by LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
According to Buha, he was a member of the 2020 championship team and Dallas’ 2024 Finals run. Like Udonis Haslem, he’s a person no one wants to deal with in the locker room. When he speaks, people listen. If I had a pistol to my head, I would rather play Reddish than Morris. But in terms of importance and locker room hierarchy, Markieff Morris is at a higher level.
In my opinion, it basically boils down to Reddish and Len, with Reddish probably winning out. Technically, Cam could be cut at any time up until the final day of the regular season. “Alex Len would probably be the second player they waive because, like Shake Milton, they have some leeway in incorporating him into future trades.” According to Buha, it makes no sense to waive the other eleven players.
Len, a big man from Ukraine, joined the Lakers on February 11 but hasn’t made much of an impression. In three games (11.7 minutes), he has averaged just 1.3 points and 3.0 rebounds.
Reddish has averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 31 games (18.1 minutes) this season since joining the Lakers in 2023.
In contrast, the Lakers are not in a rush to make roster adjustments and can afford to wait. They can only sign and waive one at this time, and they will remain beneath the second apron,” Buha stated. They could add a second player, waive a third, add a third later in the season when the prorated number drops, if they so desired.
Buha said, “At this point in the season, I would say that they cut Reddish and signed [Jordan] Goodwin.”
Converting Goodwin, who would be a two-way player and still be eligible for the playoffs, may save the Lakers money.
As of this now, the Lakers sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 36-21 record and a 14-game winning run.
