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The Los Angeles Lakers have made a lot of additions this offseason but it looks like one of them is already getting shown the door. As part of the trade that sent JaVale McGee to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team acquired center Jordan Bell. The expectation was that they were going to waive him shortly after.
The Lakers announced that they did in fact waive him on Tuesday. Bell has bounced around the NBA since getting drafted in the second round in the 2017 draft. He won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2018 and has spent time with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies. At 6’8, he’s pretty small for a center but he should find another team at some point.
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Does Alfonzo McKinnie Have a Shot to Make Roster?
In the McGee trade, the Lakers also had to take on Alfonzo McKinnie. However, it appears he’ll have some sort of chance to make the team. The team’s official Twitter account notably sent a welcome message to McKinnie but didn’t do that for Bell.
McKinnie hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself in the NBA yet. He’s bounced around the league a lot for a young player but will now get a chance with the defending champions. He only averages 4.3 points a game over his career and shoots about 31% from three. Even if he is able to stick with the Lakers, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to see the floor a lot. That said, the team does need to fill out their bench and McKinnie is a good candidate for that.
Places Where Lakers Can Still Improve
The Lakers have done a lot of great things this offseason and the roster has gotten better than it was last season. Adding Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Wesley Matthews are all big moves. However, the Lakers could still add some help in a couple of areas.
There’s no doubt their 3-point shooting will be better this season. Gasol is a better shooter than McGee or Dwight Howard. Schroder is a better shooter than Rajon Rondo and Matthews is in the same ballpark as Danny Green when it comes to 3-point shooting. Despite that, the team could still use at least one more great 3-point shooter. The Lakers were not great from beyond the arc last year and it doesn’t look like they’ll be that much better in that area this year. With all that said, the team has a lot of great scorers on the team right now so 3s might not matter all that much.
Adding Gasol is an upgrade at center but the team still might need a backup rim protector. Harrell has played a lot of center but he’s only 6’8 on a good day. The Lakers could look to add more size for Gasol’s backup. The team had great size last year but it looks like they’re going to go a little smaller this year unless they decide to make some changes.
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