NBA Rumors: Lakers May Dread Taking In Blake Griffin Temporarily With Davis Recuperating

The Los Angeles Lakers remain favorites although the injury problems of Anthony Davis are concerning.

Likely to miss the team’s games in the coming weeks, the franchise needs to figure out who to get from the NBA free-agent market.

One name that has been suggested is Blake Griffin. The former NBA Rookie of the Year has been frozen with the Detroit Pistons who are hoping to engage in a trade for the injury-prone forward.

But given that he is owed roughly over $75 million in the next two years, the plausible scenario would be to wait for a buyout to go down between Griffin and the Pistons.

As far as the Lakers are concerned, they got a bit of a reprieve when they gained the ability to fill out their 15th roster spot.

The bad news is that they can only do so using a prorate veteran’s minimum exception, according to ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Los Angeles may consider using that on Griffin, assuming that he is bought out by the Pistons. But would it be wise to do so given the All-Star forward’s erratic injury history?

On paper, it could make sense with Griffin being a temporary fix. But unless the 31-year-old proves that he can keep himself in top shape during that run and blend in with the system of head coach Frank Vogel, the chances of adding Griffin may be risky.

Also, the Lakers would best take in a center who can man the middle. But if Marc Gasol can fill in the void and buy Davis time, then the sense of adding Griffin via buyout would make sense.

Gasol has been given extended minutes to play the center slot to make up for Davis’ absence. The Spaniard is not expected to score heavily and merely do his share on defense and rebounding.

He responded well against the Minnesota Timberwolves although it remains to be seen if he can do that consistently.

Gasol admits that he has been struggling to get into a rhythm but is not making that an excuse for his lackluster play.

“They don’t have to help me be better. It’s, for me, how to help the team and make their job easier, because if I make their job easier, then we win more games. They don’t have to make my job easier by any means,” Gasol stated.

Gasol can hold up for now, but consistency is important. If he continues to struggle, the Lakers' brain thrust needs to re-evaluate and figure out who among NBA free agents can help their 2020-21 NBA campaign.