Report: Veteran Center To Join Lakers After Receiving Buyout

The Los Angeles Lakers were not really strong on the defensive end this season, and may even need a backup plan. The team is making progress in order to improve the frontcourt, and they have one special veteran on his way to Los Angeles.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Phoenix Suns are finalizing the buyout with center Tyson Chandler. ESPN’s Adam Wojnarowski reported that the veteran may ink a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Center Tyson Chandler is getting a buyout with the Suns and will become a free agent upon clearing waivers. Chandler will sign with the Lakers, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted.

Chandler averages 3.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per contest. He was benched in Friday’s game with the Toronto Raptors and scored 22 points in the team’s previous four games.

As @TheSteinLine reports, center Tyson Chandler is getting a buyout with the Suns and will become a free agent upon clearing waivers. Chandler will sign with the Lakers, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2018

The Lakers are not really strong on the defensive end, and JaVale McGee is one of the very few players to be efficient in this part of the squad. The Lakers are yielding 121.1 points pet contest, and that’s 28th out of 30 teams in the league.

The veteran averages 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Lakers. His 3.3 blocks per contests say pretty much everything about him. McGee registered at least three blocks in six games this season. He was able to record 1.0 steals per game, and has at least one steal in six games.

Chandler has a nice career as a rim protector. He played with the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and New York Knicks and also spent four seasons with the Suns. The veteran blocked 1.2 shots per game in his career, and has only 0.1 blocks per game with his current team in the season.

Will Chandler be enough to lift the Lakers’ defense? Let’s wait and find out.