The Lakers did not make any moves before Thursday's trade deadline but still have two open roster spots to fill.

Here are the three potential contract-buyout candidates that would fit with the Lakers:

Center Andre Drummond

Two minutes before the trade deadline, a breaking news tweet from Yahoo Sports said it all. Drummond had waited patiently for Cleveland to trade him. It was not going to happen, so he wanted to be bought out of his contract and join another team.

Drummond has not played in a game since February 12, which coincided with the Cavaliers acquiring their center of the future, Jarrett Allen, in the James Harden trade.

According to Yahoo, he is ready to play but not before meeting with a handful of teams that include the Lakers, Clippers, New York, Boston, and Charlotte. Curiously, Brooklyn was not on his list, depriving the Eastern Conference power of adding a player at a position the Nets desperately need.

He is young, 27, his contract expires after this season, and he has led the league in rebounds four of the past five seasons. In fact, he had a 30-20 game against New York and a 20-20 game against Milwaukee in January.

He would help the Lakers immediately and come at a low cost of about $1 million. He is the gold standard for the buyout period.

Power forward-center LaMarcus Aldridge

His skills faded this season in San Antonio, but he could still help a championship contender at age 35. First, the bad news for Aldridge.

He is averaging only 13.7 points, the lowest since his rookie season, and flirting with the worst field-goal percentage of his career (46%). Inconsistency has crept into his game as well. In a four-game stretch in January, he scored four, 22, four, and 26 points. Hmmm.

Yet Aldridge offers a team an experienced big man who can extend to three-point range and play above-average defense in the post.

He would be an inexpensive addition for the Lakers and, like Anthony Davis, could play either center or power forward. 

 

Small forward Otto Porter

Injuries have really dampened his career in recent years, but the 27-year-old still offers offense and defense help.

He got lost in the shuffle a little bit in Chicago this season after missing five weeks because of back spasms. It was not surprising to see him traded to Orlando on Thursday. Unlike Drummond and Aldridge, there are no guarantees he will be bought out of his contract. If he and Orlando reach a deal to release him before an April 9 deadline, he would be a good backup to LeBron James.

Porter can defend and hit three-pointers at a solid clip (40% this season). Can he stay healthy, though, for a few important uninterrupted months?

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