The Lakers have decided to waive Mohamed Bamba before his $10.3M salary for the 2023-24 season becomes guaranteed, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
The sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bamba spent his first four-and-a-half NBA seasons in Orlando before being dealt to the Lakers ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.
Although he has flashed the ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim, Bamba saw his role with the Magic decline after the team added Wendell Carter and Paolo Banchero, and played a limited role in Los Angeles before spraining his ankle in March.
In total, Bamba appeared in 49 games in 2022-23, averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest. He posted a shooting line of .485/.387/.661.
Bamba is still just 25 years old and may have an untapped upside, but it didn’t make sense for the Lakers to retain him at a price of $10M+. Cutting him will give Los Angeles some extra cap flexibility entering a crucial offseason and may open the door for the club to use the full, non-taxpayer version of the mid-level exception.
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