Lakers' Rob Pelinka Discusses Buyout Market Outlook After NBA Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't going to sign anyone on the buyout market just for the sake of making a roster move.

General manager Rob Pelinka told reporters on Saturday the Lakers will look to add players if they fill a specific need, but they aren't locked into signing anyone who might become available.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his podcast Friday (h/t Harrison Feigen of Silver Screen and Roll) that Danny Green would "make a ton of sense" in Los Angeles if he receives a buyout from the Houston Rockets.

Green was on the 2019-20 Lakers team that won an NBA championship. He played an integral role on both ends of the court during that playoff run.

The Lakers might need additional wing depth for the stretch run given the health of LeBron James' foot and ankle. Pelinka said the 19-time All-Star had imaging recently that came back "clean and good," but he will miss Saturday's game against the Golden State Warriors

B/R's Chris Haynes noted on his podcast with Marc Stein that James was "severely struggling" with his foot injury during Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and it "gets to points where it just gets unbearable and he plays through it."

Green is still working his way back into game shape after missing nine months due to a torn ACL. He made his season debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 1 and only appeared in three games before getting traded to Houston on Thursday.

Pelinka has already done a good job of reshaping the Lakers' roster around James and Anthony Davis ahead of the trade deadline. He brought in Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba.

Those deals added some much-needed depth for the Lakers. They still have to climb up the standings to make the playoffs. Their 25-31 record ranks 13th in the Western Conference, and they are 2.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the final spot in the play-in tournament.