Lakers News: 2021 Lottery Pick Waived, Will LA Bite On Buyout Market?

Better question: SHOULD they?
Lakers News: 2021 Lottery Pick Waived, Will LA Bite On Buyout Market?
Lakers News: 2021 Lottery Pick Waived, Will LA Bite On Buyout Market? /
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Your Los Angeles Lakers acted swiftly on this season's buyout market, using the rest of its mid-level exception money to ink LA native Spencer Dinwiddie to a $1.5 million rest-of-year deal.

Dinwiddie was a surprise free agent. After the Brooklyn Nets opted to flip their starting point guard to the Toronto Raptors at the February 8th trade deadline, Toronto decided to cut Dinwiddie rather than pay him a guaranteed bonus.

Things have been all quiet on the Lakers front ever since (they also made no trades). Now, the former No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft has hit the open market.

Shams Charania of The Athletic writes that the Charlotte Hornets have cut shooting guard James Bouknight.

The UConn product had a promising-if-not-amazing rookie season in 2021-22, averaging 4.6 points on .348/.347/.871 shooting splits, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists. But he has since failed to grow, even while playing on a lottery-bound program.

A meniscus surgery in October postponed Bouknight's start to the 2023-24 season. Appearing for in just 14 contests, he averaged a scant 3.6 points on more efficient field goal shooting (and less frequent foul line shooting), a .439/.433/.500 slash line, plus 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists.

The 23-year-old has had some off-the-court issues in his brief career, too, having compiled two DWI arrests while with Charlotte.

He's very much a project, and doesn't make sense on a standard contract for a 30-26 Lakers team looking for veteran pieces with which to make a concerted playoff push. But if he doesn't get any interest on the buyout market, and is amenable to an affiliate contract with LA's NBAGL squad the South Bay Lakers (or maybe a two-way deal), there's no reason not to take a flyer on what was once an elite college prospect.


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Alex Kirschenbaum
ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM

Basketball is Alex's favorite sport, he likes the way they dribble up and down the court.