Top Lakers buyout target appears to be off the market
After striking out in the offseason and striking out at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are in danger of getting the hat trick with buyout season.
Veteran basketball writer Marc Stein reported Tuesday that Rockets guard Dennis Schroder is on course to finish the season in Houston, as neither the Rockets nor Schroder favor a buyout. As Stein notes, March 1 is the deadline for players to be bought out and still maintain their playoff eligibility.
Schroder, a former Laker who is posting 14.4 points and 4.2 assists per game this season, had been linked to a potential reunion with the purple and gold. But though the Rockets are a rebuilding team with the worst record in the Western Conference, it appears that Schroder will finish the year out with them instead.
It is unclear what kind of impactful candidates are left on the buyout market for the Lakers to pursue. The Schroder news is the latest blow to them after Goran Dragic decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets and ex-LeBron James teammate Tristan Thompson went to the Chicago Bulls. Perhaps the NBA figures who were laughing at the Lakers for focusing on the buyout market were right all along.
Photo: Dec 9, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) warms-up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
