After waiving Troy Daniels on Sunday to free up a roster spot, the Lakers went ahead and reached a deal with guard Dion Waiters for the remainder of the 2019/20 season.
Waiters worked out for the team earlier this week and reportedly made a good impression during his visit. The 28-year-old veteran shooter should give the Lakers a solid perimeter scoring option off of the bench.
Before Los Angeles decided on signing Waiters, the team also worked out J.R. Smith earlier this week. Additionally, former Lakers guard Nick Young injected himself into the conversation, commenting on an Instagram post to say that L.A. should sign him instead.
Young spent four seasons in Los Angeles (2013-17), where he averaged 13.1 PPG and shot 37.7% from three-point range. After his tenure with the Lakers, he spent the 2017/18 season with the Warriors and four games last season with the Nuggets.
Here’s more out of Los Angeles:
- All-Star forward Anthony Davis put on a show for the Staples Center crowd on Tuesday in the Lakers’ 120-107 win over the 76ers, recording 37 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, two assists, and two blocks. That type of performance is why LeBron James wanted to get him to L.A. last year, as he tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s everything I expected and more,” James said of Davis. “Obviously, that’s why I wanted him here. When you get a generational talent like that, and you got an opportunity to get him, you just try to do whatever you can to get him.”
- There’s something different about how James has approached this season with Los Angeles, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Windhorst takes a closer look at James’ adjustment to the point guard position, his in-season strategy, and his front office relationship with the Lakers.
- Earlier this week, Lakers team owner Jeanie Buss was asked about why Dwight Howard‘s first stint was not a success in 2013. She didn’t mince words, placing blame on former Lakers and current Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni. Howard was asked about this on Wednesday night and took a different approach. “I don’t want to dig up anything from the past,” Howard said (Twitter link via McMenamin). “… I love Coach D’Antoni. The system that he had, he thought that was going to work for us. So we bought into it. I just didn’t happen the way it was supposed to happen.”
who will Waiters take minutes from?
Perhaps Rondo…depends how he plays. Waiters could potentially be in the top 8 or 9 guys in this team he’s just a head case so this has the potential to work out… I’m skeptical but very curious
It’s going to be a successful signing trust me !!!
Some of Rondo’s and a big chunk of Caruso’s.
Troy Daniels, lol.
Caruso has some of the beat plus minus in nba but yet scrubs like rondo and kuzma keep getting minutes.. the defense of kuz and rondo is absolute crap.. that why teams go on runs when they are both on floor
I prefer Caruso too. Rondo is pretty streaky in the present setup which however may be his best career option given his age. Not sure how Waiters will turn out
Why do you think they were shopping Kyle kuzma earlier? To see if they can improve on him. He’s a pretty good player, it’s just to see if they could get a little better player.
I worry more about the defense of rondo and kuzma than the offense.. everytime they come in game, opposing team goes on a run when lebron sits.. it’s because they don’t play any d and the opposing team drives by them to basket at will.. green, Bradley, Davis all can lock down defensively and lebron defense has improved this year. Can’t have 2-3 guys on second unit consistently getting their a$$ handed to them on defense.. Caruso, Howard and kcp are only ones on second unit that play any defense..
Just imagine if they signed Nick Young. It could have been Swaggy P vs Playoff P in the WCF. It would’ve been insane. Kind of like the thought that Young wasn’t the biggest head case of the three.
I take J.R. over Swaggy any day. Dion is the best of the three currently talent-wise.
Just a quickie note, the year that Nick Young played with the Warriors really worked out well if you look at the one single game in the playoffs when he came off the bench and shot the ball well + had a sequence of about five minutes where he played fantastic defense and locked a guy down.
I can’t remember who he was guarding or what series it was, just that young really provided a much-needed spark Off the Bench. He was fairly okay throughout That season and he got a ring out of it. They didn’t bring him back, but it was a good signing for one year.
Actually really like the pairing up of Waiters and Caruso. Think they would compliment each other great.
Waiters is going to be the Lakers’ Vinnie Johnson, the irrational confidence guy that they need. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
Dion Waiters is more Marcus Smart then Vinnie Johnson. JR Smith is Vinnie Johnson and more of a microwave and can heat things up in a hurry.
Dion Waiters is Scrappy, can do a lot of things well but is not a lights-out shooter Off the Bench like the microwave.