NBA Rumors: Lakers Coach Sheds Light On Decision To Release DeAndre Jordan

The Los Angeles Lakers made a minor change to their roster recently, and head coach Frank Vogel explained why backup center DeAndre Jordan was the man to be booted from the team.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic revealed that Vogel told him that Jordan was released because the center felt as if he would have a bigger role to play with the Philadelphia 76ers and Lakers management gave him that opportunity.

News of the Lakers waiving Jordan came immediately after the team confirmed that they would be signing combo guard D.J. Augustin for the rest of the season and forward Wenyen Gabriel to a two-way contract.

Jordan and the recently-signed Sekou Doumbouya were then placed on waivers, which allows teams to make a waiver claim on the player.

Simply put, a team can bring on any player from the waiver wire to their squad as long as the player’s contract fits into the team’s cap room, a trade exception, or a disable-player option.

Waiver claims are a rarity in the NBA because of these requirements, but there have been cases where gems were found on the waiver wire like the cases of Jeremy Lin in 2012 and Christian Wood in July 2019.

This season, there have only been six players who were taken via waivers and Jordan could likely be the seventh.

However, the Sixers currently have a full roster after signing Willie Cauley-Stein to a 10-day deal last Thursday, February 24.

Jordan will then likely be picked up by the Sixers on Monday, March 6.

Jordan only appeared in 32 games for the Lakers this season as a backup to Dwight Howard but failed to put up any meaningful numbers with the team.

Two years removed from pulling in 10 rebounds per game for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019-20 season, Jordan has only averaged 6.7 boards in the past two seasons.

While he relies heavily on his athleticism to become an effective contributor, Jordan is now relegated to being a warm body off the bench that can help shoulder the load on the glass.

Pairing Jordan up with Joel Embiid in the frontcourt makes for a formidable presence in the paint that will have opposing teams be wary of diving into the shaded lane.

The Lakers have just lost to the Dallas Mavericks, making it their third straight loss, and there is a palpable tension brewing underneath the surface as the New Orleans Pelicans are just two games away from catching them in the standings.

Vogel and his cadre of stars will need to regain their senses quickly as they face the Los Angeles Clippers next on Thursday, March 3.