NBA Rumors: Lakers May Sacrifice Veteran To Add Back-Up Center With Davis Injured

The Los Angeles Lakers may need to make a roster move soon with Anthony Davis dealing with an injury.

Given that the "Purple and Gold" don’t have the luxury of budget, they may have to include and sacrifice a player to make it happen.

It should be noted that the Lakers may not need someone who can score. Head coach Frank Vogel appears to have more than enough firepower.

Hence, a suitable player to get is someone who can control rebounds and toughen up their defense. There are reasonable targets, but figuring out who to sacrifice is a need.

One player that the Lakers could move is Wes Matthews. The 34-year-old was taken in to pick up the slack of Danny Green.

But somehow, things have not panned out and such has resulted in the 6-foot-4 swingman not getting the minutes that was allegedly promised to him, The Athletic reported.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dennis Schroder are the primary options, somehow easing out Matthews’ relevance. From the bench, there are other options that Vogel could turn to like sophomore Talen Horton-Tucker.

With these in mind, Matthews may be unhappy with his role and merely settling in to possibly win an NBA title.

But with Davis sitting out until the NBA All-Star, the Lakers need to move. The good news is that the 27-year-old is only dealing with a calf strain and not a right Achilles injury, ESPN reported.

But it remains that his minutes on the floor need to be managed to avoid seeing him go down with a more serious injury. Three names come to mind.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard redeemed himself and proved he could still be a force playing behind Davis and LeBron James.

A mix-up saw him join the Philadelphia 76ers, but a reunion could work. Matthews can provide Philly with the needed shooting and defense which Doc Rivers is looking for.

Mo Bamba

Mo Bamba has been playing behind Nikola Vucevic and may want to play somewhere else with better opportunities.

The Lakers are looking for a young and talented player to add to the mix so seeing the 22-year-old in purple and gold could make sense.

Matthews also makes sense for the Orlando Magic, beefing up their guard rotation, not to mention adding some veteran flavor.

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside is someone who has proven he can play defense. He proved that with the Miami Heat, but his career had taken a turnstile the last couple of years.

Currently, with the Sacramento Kings, it could make sense for the 31-year-old who has been sparingly used this NBA season.

There is no promise that his minutes will improve although he can be part of something big if the Lakers win it all again.