Lakers Rumors: DeAndre Jordan, Kent Bazemore Contracts May Be Dumped in Trade, Buyout

The Los Angeles Lakers are a disappointing 26-28 despite preseason championship expectations, but they might not be in position to make a number of headline moves ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic reported "dumping the contract of one of DeAndre Jordan or Kent Bazemore, either via trade or buyout" is widely seen as the "next-most likely move" to trading Talen Horton-Tucker or Kendrick Nunn.

"The goal would be to both save money on their $150-plus million cap sheet and to create an additional roster spot," Buha and Oram added.

In January, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said there was some belief around the league that the Lakers could look to create more roster flexibility by moving Jordan or Bazemore. Neither player has a significant role for L.A. this season.

Jordan hasn't played more than 21 minutes in a game since a Nov. 23 loss to the New York Knicks. Bazemore hasn't played more than 14 minutes in a game since a Dec. 17 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Los Angeles has even turned to LeBron James as a de facto big man at times in small lineups before turning to Jordan for significant minutes in the frontcourt. That is quite the departure from when he was in his prime and amassed a resume that includes three All-NBA selections, two All-Defensive selections, two rebounding titles and an All-Star nod.

Jordan was best known for throwing down dunks on the Los Angeles Clippers alongside Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but he averaged a double-double with points and rebounds for six straight seasons between 2013-14 and 2018-19.

Those days are in the rearview mirror, but he is still just 33 years old and perhaps could provide interior defense and rebounding for a team in need of more frontcourt depth.

Bazemore doesn't have as impressive of a resume as Jordan, but he did average at least 10 points per game in every season between 2015-16 and 2018-19 for the Atlanta Hawks. He could also provide outside shooting as a 35.6 percent career shooter from deep.

Jordan and Bazemore won't be the most impactful players moved ahead of the deadline, but some roster management could be in store for a Lakers team that looks more like a candidate for a play-in tournament exit than the NBA Finals at this point.