Lakers officially release Andrew Bogut, plan to ‘aggressively’ seek outside shooting help

So long, Bogut.

The Los Angeles Lakers have brought an end to the Andrew Bogut experience, announcing early Saturday morning that they’ve waived the veteran big man. Bogut appeared in 24 games for the purple and gold, averaging 1.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in nine minutes per game.

This brings the Lakers’ main roster down to 14, giving the front office options going forward. General manager Rob Pelinka already knows where he wants focus his attention with the new space, setting his sights on making an “aggressive” push to add shooting to the team through the use of a 10-day contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

It’s clear Los Angeles needs help on the perimeter, shooting a league-worst 32.4 percent from deep as a team. Cutting Bogut allows the Lakers to address this issue, reallocating their depth in the frontcourt elsewhere. It could also mean carving a role for Thomas Bryant and/or Ivica Zubac in the meantime.

Going the 10-day route is a sensible one for the Lakers, who have created additional flexibility with one month until the trade deadline hits. Having an extra space to negotiate with in trade packages is certainly a plus for the front office, and a 10-day contract is a minimal commitment that won’t hurt that prospect.

As far as expectations for the Lakers’ newfound roster slot, getting help in the backcourt would be ideal. This is great opportunity to lean on the scouting department to identify the right player, one of the few departments of the franchise that has been hitting home runs in recent years.