As expected, on the day of the trade deadline, the NBA transaction log has really heated up. On Thursday, weeks of inaction turned out to be the quiet before the storm. Regretfully, the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t contributed anything to that storm so far.
As of this writing, the Lakers have not taken any action by the deadline, and it seems improbable that they would take any significant action. Los Angeles has already lost out on some excellent trade targets, so in contrast, the lack of activity appears much more dire.
Fortunately, there are other ways to get outside assistance besides making deals before the deadline. The Lakers are in the first tax agreement, so there are no limitations on who may make a move, and the trade deadline also brightens the buyout market.
After the deadline, there will undoubtedly be a list of possible candidates for a buyout. The Detroit Pistons dismissed a player who would have been a surefire buyout addition for the purple and gold, but some teams aren’t even waiting for the dust to settle.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, Joe Harris is the ideal buyout target.
The Lakers can sign Harris as a buyout target when he clears waivers, but it is very doubtful that any team will claim him at his present contract. Although Harris would be a fantastic buyout addition, no team is willing to spend that amount for him. Harris was making little less than $20 million.
Though everyone on the Detroit Pistons squad has had a bad season, the shooting wing has had a poor season. Harris won’t be able to enter the game and log a tonne of minutes, but given the situation in Detroit, the Lakers shouldn’t be unduly concerned about his performance.
The Lakers should instead review Harris’s stats from prior seasons. Harris has a career three-point percentage of 43.6%, and in two different seasons, he led the league in that category. Over the course of a season, this player has shot over 47% from beyond the arc.
Adding a sharpshooting wing to come off the bench would be a terrific idea for the Lakers, who don’t have strong shooting overall and Jarred Vanderbilt is out for several weeks. LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ creation of floor spacing would be extremely beneficial to Harris, who could easily return to his 40% three-point shooting form.
Since Harris is a mediocre defender, the Lakers will need to exercise caution while using him. It would undoubtedly create too many holes if he played with Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. However, Harris might be a terrific forward to stretch the floor in a defensive team with players like Davis and Vanderbilt.
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from beyond the arc.
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