Cam Reddish, Christian Wood ‘top candidates’ to be waived for buyout signing

If the Lakers want to sign a buyout player for their center position, Cam Reddish or Christian Wood could be out the door to make way.

With the trade deadline over and done with, the Lakers are still short on bigs. The franchise tried to satisfy Luka Dončić’s desire for a center when they traded for Mark Williams.

However, that trade has since been rescinded, leaving the Lakers still dealing with the problem of needing a center.

With trades no longer an option, the Lakers will have to turn to the buyout market for upgrades. Even so, they have a full roster so to add a player, they must let another go.

A recent article by Dave McMenamin of ESPN breaks down which players can be on the chopping block to create the roster space to add a big.

The Lakers can still waive someone — Wood or Reddish would be the top candidates, team sources said — to create a roster vacancy to bring in another center. L.A. still has enough room under the second apron to sign a buyout player, someone making less than $12.8 million with his previous team, for the rest of the season.

Christian Wood and Cam Reddish being the players most likely waived on this team makes the most sense. Wood has missed the entire year so far after having knee surgery and the most notable update on his status came in mid-November when he had a setback.

Technically, Reddish was already sent away as part of the Williams trade. With that deal no longer happening, he’s back on the roster.

Reddish had a handful of impactful games in November but has only participated in three of the Lakers’ last 15 matchups. He has missed the team’s past few games due to personal reasons and is still out for their last home game before the All-Star break.

Neither player's departure would impact the rotation or the Lakers’ chances of title contention. If they can find a center who fits the team's style of play, they should waive one of them and make whatever small upgrades they can before the roster is set for the postseason.

A buyout player might not make a huge splash, but adding depth at center and making marginal improvements when you’re currently a top-five team in the West could be the difference between home-court advantage in the opening round or slipping down to a play-in spot.

Hopefully, the Lakers can find a ready-now buyout candidate and do whatever it takes to bring them to Los Angeles.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.