As they continue to get healthier, the Los Angeles Lakers may no longer have a need for two former high picks.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on the latest episode of his self-titled podcast that the Lakers could potentially decide to convert multiple two-way players on their roster into standard contracts before the Apr. 13 deadline to do so. That would leave the team in a situation where forward Cam Reddish and center Alex Len would both then likely be waived.
“There’s a chance [of all three two-way guys being converted], but realistically, it’s probably not gonna happen,” said Buha, per BasketNews. “Just because I think that the only two obvious players to cut on the roster are Cam Reddish and Alex Len.”
Reddish, 25, is a former No. 10 overall pick known for his defense on the wing, and Len, 31, is a former No. 5 overall pick who provides size at 7-foot. But neither player has been seeing consistent minutes this season unless the Lakers opt to go with a load-management game for their regular starters. Additionally, both Reddish and Len are on inexpensive contracts that expire after this season.
LeBron James (groin) is nearing a return for the Lakers, and Rui Hachimura (who hasn’t played since February due to a knee injury) is getting very close as well. Thus, the Lakers no longer need the excess bodies in their frontcourt.
As it stands right now, the Lakers have three players on two-way contracts — guard Jordan Goodwin (26) plus big men Trey Jemison III (25) and Christian Koloko (24). Converting one or two of those younger guys into a standard spot may be a much better use of the Lakers’ roster space than to continue to carry largely dead weight in the form of Reddish and Len.
