Blake Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets and now the Los Angeles Lakers seem to believe it’s their turn to land some help via the buyout market.
Of course, it won’t be long before power forward Anthony Davis returns, joining LeBron James, point guard Dennis Schroder, small forward Kyle Kuzma and forever-underrated big man Montrezl Harrell.
That gives the defending champions plenty on which to hang their hopes.
But adding a piece like, say, Andre Drummond would offer that much more power and depth. When everyone is gunning for you, power and depth can’t be understated.
And according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Lakers are optimistic they will receive “strong” consideration from Drummond if the Cleveland Cavaliers’ center hits the buyout market.
It could happen, too. The Cavs are aiming to find a workable trade for Drummond before the March 25 deadline — but that won’t be so easy. Drummond is due $28.7 million this season and his contract is expiring.
Not only would the Cavs have to take back some serious money, but they don’t want just any deal. They wisely are seeking some assets, too. But good luck finding all that.
Anyway, the Lakers have dealt with several obstacles already — from injuries to age to perhaps some regular-season blahs. Still, they enter the second half of the season with a 24-13 record, good enough for third place in the Western Conference, and just 3.5 games back of the Utah Jazz for first.
Of course, when you have LeBron and a healthy Davis, just getting to the playoffs is enough. The idea is to limit the amount of road games you have to win in the postseason. But everyone knows you’re gonna have to at least win one or two.
A talent such as Drummond would only help in that area. Especially if the goal is to face a powerful and deep opponent such as the Nets when it means the most.
As for Drummond, signing on with the Lakers would mean getting an opportunity to win a championship as he heads towards free agency. That tends to make you more valuable when it’s time to get paid again.
