Getty Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t do anything at the trade deadline and the buyout market hasn’t been exactly fruitful. There aren’t any saviors coming to help the team but they can make little moves to help. DeAndre Jordan hasn’t been an asset for the team this season. The former All-Star big man isn’t the impact player he once was.
Jordan had a -108 plus/minus in 32 games played, per StatMuse. The Lakers were looking for ways to get off of him at the trade deadline but couldn’t find a suitor. It appears that the center took matters into his own hands. The team recently waived Jordan and signed D.J. Augustin. According to Frank Vogel, Jordan actually requested a release, and the coach had a message for the big man.
“We wish DeAndre well,” Vogel said Tuesday, via Sports Illustrated. “It’s really just a need thing. He gets an opportunity to have a bigger role somewhere else, he felt. We granted that to him. We had the need for more point guard and shooting that we were able to pick up with D.J. Augustin.”
Any fan could’ve told the Lakers to release Jordan this season but they needed extra motivation to make the move. At the very least, Los Angeles has now gotten one of its least effective players off the roster, which is a positive thing.
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Fans Happy to See Jordan Go
The fact that Jordan was even able to start in 19 games for the Lakers this season is perplexing. He never showed the team once that he had anything left in the tank. Fans have been wanting him gone for months and they were able to see him go.
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Signs of life 🌥
Los Angeles’ commitment to Jordan was baffling from the beginning. Even signing him in the offseason was met with criticism. He was once a very good player but hasn’t been effective for years. It appears the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to sign him, per Vogel, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll turn things around.
Vogel Expects Augustin & Wenyen Gabriel to Contribute
Jordan getting cut paved the way for Augustin to get signed. Though he’s also over the hill, Vogel believes that the guard and fellow new addition Wenyen Gabriel can help the team.
“We had a need for more point guard (play) and shooting that we were able to pick up with D.J. Augustin, someone I’ve coached before,” Vogel said, via Silver Screen & Roll. “He’s a solid pro that can really, really shoot the basketball and can really playmake. Obviously, we began the season thinking [Rajon] Rondo and Kendrick Nunn in those spots and, obviously, we dealt Rondo and haven’t had Kendrick all year so D.J. really fills a need in that regard. Wenyen is someone that we’ve been high on, someone who has upside as a really athletic, 6’9”, 3-and-D type player.”
Time will tell if these two make any difference at all but at least the team is trying to shake things up.
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Frank Vogel Sends Message to Maligned Laker After Requesting Release