Getty Avery Bradley defending Jrue Holiday.
Once again, the Los Angeles Lakers were active at the trade deadline, and once again, they didn’t pull off a move. The team got involved in the Kyle Lowry sweepstakes at the 11th hour but wouldn’t meet Toronto’s steep asking price. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis set to miss a bit of time, the Lakers will need to sure up their roster on the buyout market.
Luckily, there should be some strong options available to them, including a familiar face. Avery Bradley signed with the Miami Heat in the offseason but was traded to the Houston Rockets at the deadline. With Victor Olapido now gone, the Rockets might have the worst team in the NBA. That will likely lead to Bradley get bought out.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the veteran guard could be a name to watch for the Lakers.
A name to monitor as the Lakers look to fill their final roster spots: Avery Bradley. He was traded to HOU from MIA today. Rockets already have logjam of guards to back up John Wall. Bradley, a former Pelinka client, made strong impression on LAL before opting out of the bubble
Bradley was with the team all of last season and was their starting shooting guard for 44 games. He decided to sit out of the NBA bubble and wasn’t with the team for their championship run. He could now get a chance to run it back in Los Angeles.
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Bradley Would Be a Good Pickup
Bradley would be a strong addition for the Lakers. He’s been named to an All-NBA Defensive Team twice in his career. Head coach Frank Vogel values defense over everything else. However, the Lakers don’t really need defensive help.
More than anything, they need shooting. Fortunately, Bradley is a strong 3-point shooter. He was shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc with Miami. He’s also a career 36.5% 3-point shooter. That’s number is not elite but it’s good enough to help the Lakers.
With LeBron expected to miss several weeks, the team could really use a strong defender on the wing. Bradley is also really familiar with the team having spent most of last season with them.
Bradley Wanted to Return to the Lakers
While Bradley still got a championship ring for his time with the Lakers last season, he wasn’t with the team when they won the title. He recently lamented the fact that he couldn’t be with them at the end of last season. He also mentioned that he did want to return to the team.
“Of course, you want to run it back,” Bradley said on Chris Haynes’ podcast in January, “after them winning a championship and me not being there to experience it with them, I want that feeling with the guys and the organization that I was able to build that bond with and that special run with. Even though I knew we could potentially lose someone, I still wanted to feel that with that core group of guys that I was battling with all year. It was hard. I thought I was going back.”
Well, Bradley could now have his shot at coming back. Even though things are looking grim for the Lakers right now, once Davis and LeBron come back, they’ll be dominant again. Los Angeles still has a very good chance and winning another championship. Bradley could want to return and actually be a part of the championship run this year