With Friday's buyout deadline looming, the Jazz and Raja Bell have an agreement in place that would see the team buy out the veteran's contract, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). However, the deal hinges on Bell's ability to find a contract elsewhere, and so far there are no takers, Charania reports.
According to Charania (via Twitter), Bell's agent Herb Rudoy continues to talk to several clubs about a possible role for his client, but hasn't made serious progress yet. Bell has been on Utah's roster all season, but the disgruntled wing was asked not to report to the club. He and the team have been working on a buyout off and on all year, with his $3.48MM salary set to come off the books at season's end, but have yet to finalize a deal.
The Lakers reportedly have some interest in Bell, so presumably they're one of the teams with whom Rudoy has been in contact. Los Angeles has a roster space available, but perhaps the club wants to wait to see what other players hit the market before committing to Bell. Salary could also be a point of contention.
March 1st represents the NBA's buyout deadline, meaning that players must be released before the deadline if they hope to play in the postseason for another team this season. Free agents who haven't been on an NBA roster at any point this season could still sign after March 1st and be playoff-eligible, but anyone currently on a roster must be released by Friday to retain his postseason eligibility.
laker need a big man more then a guard.