The LA Lakers are expected to waive veteran center Alex Len after a disappointing stint, though the team may wait until the end of the regular season to make a final decision.
With starting center Jaxson Hayes sidelined due to a right knee injury, the Los Angeles Lakers have relied on 12-year NBA veteran Alex Len. However, his impact has been minimal, to say the least.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the LA Lakers are expected to waive the Ukrainian big man, despite signing him just over a month ago on February 11.
"I think the Lakers are testing what they have with him," Buha said on his recent podcast. "He played the first two games, was awful and hasn't played since. But I think being around the group and having a bit more time to grasp the playbook and the concepts and all that stuff, they wanted to give him a shot.
"They wanted to give him a final shot to see what he looks like," the insider added. "I expect he'll continue playing because he's the only actual roster big among those three [Len, Trey Jemison III, Christian Koloko], but his minutes have been bad.
"I would personally start Jemison or Koloko over him, whichever big is available that night among the two-way guys. This is ultimately just trending toward him being waived at the end of the [regular] season. I really don't see a point in keeping him on the roster."
The Lakers have been hesitant to waive Len immediately, with Buha earlier citing three main reasons: they don't want to admit a mistake, they don't see better alternatives at the moment, and they may prefer to wait until the end of the regular season.
The current leading candidate to be waived is forward Cam Reddish. If the team decides to convert big man Trey Jamison III to a standard contract, Len is expected to be cut as well.
So far, Len has averaged just 1.0 point and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game across six appearances and two starts for the Lakers.
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