The Los Angeles Lakers are making some changes to their list before the last period of the season. The team plans to give up reserve big man DeAndre Jordan and sign a free agent with guard DJ Augustin, according to Shams Charania from The Athletic. With this move, the Lakers are obviously focusing on the game of guard and shooting, not after the game. The Lakers also plan to sign a two-way contract with Wenien Gabriel, according to Charania.
Jordan has played in 32 games for the Lakers this season and played 12.8 minutes. Augustine played in 34 games for the Houston Rockets, but the team turned him down earlier this month. Given the fact that he is a 38 percent scorer in his career from long distances, it is not surprising to see a team like the Lakers take him for their playoff boost.
In the same way, Jordan is likely to be signed elsewhere to provide some strengthening of the front field for the playoff team. The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pursue him and may be a favorite for his services, according to Adrian Voynarovski of ESPN. The Sixers lost their other reserve center, Andre Drummond, in an exchange that brought James Harden to Philadelphia.
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The Lakers need to hope that these moves will give them a little boost, because they need everything they can get right now. The Lakers have won just three of their last 10 games and are currently ninth overall in the Western Conference standings with a record of 27-33. To make matters worse, Anthony Davis has been suspended for the foreseeable future due to an ankle injury, so he is not even available to help the team make a big leap in the standings.
As an experienced veteran, Augustine will provide the Lakers with a steady hand when needed, but it’s hard to imagine that adding him will have a significant impact on what was an overwhelming campaign for the purple and gold.