3 Players the LA Clippers Should Hope Get Bought Out
For the LA Clippers, opportunities to make additions to the roster are slim. There’s a lack of tradable assets on the team except for the four second round picks coming from the Shamet/Kennard trade. But the team is hard capped, so they’ll need to send out contracts along with those picks if they want to bring somebody in.
The most obvious way to improve will be the buyout market. As teams start to figure out they’re not quite achieving what they wanted to, they’ll be looking to buy out some of their unnecessary contracts, and teams like the Clippers feast on those.
The LA Clippers will be eagerly eyeing the buyout market this year.
If a guy that Clippers want to get is bought out, it’ll be easy enough to waive a player or ship somebody out without bringing anything back in, to make room for the buyout player. Often, these guys will sign minimum deals with contenders, since they’re getting money from the buyout and want to try to win a title somewhere.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 3 guys the LA Clippers should be keeping all their fingers crossed that they’ll be bought out.
LA Clippers Buyout Wish List #1: Aron Baynes
A regular on many LA Clippers’ fans’ free agency wish list last year, I wouldn’t have expected Aron Baynes to be the subject of a piece like this. And yet, it’s not such a crazy thought that he might be bought out by the Toronto Raptors.
When the Raps signed him, the thought was that he would replace Marc Gasol and/or Serge Ibaka and keep the Raptors flowing as they pushed for a high playoff seed. Instead, the Raptors have had a nightmare season so far, and they currently sit 10th in the East at 10-12 as they play their home games in Tampa Bay.
The Raps and their fans certainly are hoping and expecting that they can turn things around, and that very well may be true. If so, I wouldn’t think that Aron Baynes will be on the buyout list. The big man spent the early season not seeing the floor much, even racking up a few DNP’s. But his role has been increasing lately, playing in the 20s and 30s for minutes.
Baynes has been continuing his solid play lately, rebounding the ball and contributing without needing the ball in his hands regularly. He’d be a solid third big for the LA Clippers if he made his way here, giving Serge and Zubac a rest from time to time.
If the Toronto Raptors can’t turn it around and figure on missing the playoffs in the East, I’m looking for Aron Baynes to be a potential buyout candidate.