4 Buyout Candidates Lakers Should Target After Mark Williams Trade Falls Through
By Cem Yolbulan
The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the most chaotic trade deadlines imaginable. After trading for Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis, and bringing in Mark Williams to replace AD, the Lakers thought they had a complete, well-rounded roster for the rest of the season and beyond. The reports of Williams failing his physical and the team rescinding the trade on Saturday night, however, sent shockwaves among the NBA landscape and Lakers fans.
Now, the Lakers have no starting-caliber centers on the roster. Being a serious championship contender with Jaxson Hayes as your starter and no other traditional big men is a tall order. JJ Redick will have to turn to small lineups or have to hope that Christian Wood and Maxi Kleber can return before the end of the season and give the Lakers something in the playoffs.
The only other option they have is to sign a center through free agency or the buyout market. The free agent market is not robust, but the Lakers may have better options among the buyout candidates. Some veterans whose contracts don't make sense on their team after the deadline can now be bought out and hit free agency before the end of the regular season.
Before their championship run in the bubble, the Lakers had signed Markieff Morris after he was bought out by the Detroit Pistons. Morris ended up being a major contributor in the playoffs. So, it is certainly possible to find value on the buyout market, especially for a team like the Lakers that can offer a potential starting role on a contender. Let's take a look at some of the top candidates.
1. Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors
There has been no indication that the Raptors are trying to buy Chris Boucher but the writing is on the wall for the 32-year-old center. The Raptors aren't going anywhere this season, his contract expires in the offseason, and the Raptors have Jakob Poeltl and Jonathan Mogbo ahead of him in the rotation.
It's hard to see the Raptors wanting to keep Boucher for next season and beyond. He makes more sense on a contending team and Toronto could do their long-time veteran a favor by allowing him to play for a playoff team instead of riding the bench on a lottery team.
Boucher is a modern, prototypical center that the Lakers lack. He can space the floor on one end with his shooting and protect the rim on the other.
He is not the strongest or most physical center out there but he has good mobility and an elite wingspan, allowing him to be a deterrent around the basket. He is also a good fit for JJ Redick's switching scheme on defense, which will likely be even more utilized with Luka Doncic in the mix.
Boucher is obviously not the long-term solution for the Lakers at center but he is a solid stopgap center. A rotation of Jaxson Hayes and Boucher can do different things well and can potentially survive against centers not named Nikola Jokic.