Dion Waiters To Work Out For Lakers On Monday

MARCH 1: In addition to meeting with Waiters, the Lakers will also work him out on Monday in Los Angeles, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

The Lakers, who waived Daniels on Sunday, now have an open 15-man roster spot, but the team won’t be in a rush to fill it, according to ESPN. Although Woj and McMenamin suggest that Waiters will be one candidate for that roster opening, the ESPN duo notes that the Lakers will go through a “significant vetting process” with the veteran guard after his turbulent year in Miami.

FEBRUARY 26: The Lakers have a meeting scheduled with free agent guard Dion Waiters for March 2, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (relayed by Marc Stein of The New York Times on Twitter).

After being traded by the Heat and then waived by the Grizzlies earlier this month, Waiters has been on the open market, free to sign with any team except Miami. In the wake of his release, a report indicated that Waiters was expected to have “exploratory” discussions with the Lakers.

As we noted on Monday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested earlier this week that Waiters and the Lakers had already met, but that may have been more of a touching-base conversation then a full-fledged meeting. Windhorst added that the team would likely want to bring the 28-year-old in for a workout to “see what kind of condition he’s in.”

Waiters, who averaged 14.0 PPG and 3.6 APG in 120 games (28.7 MPG) during his first three seasons in Miami, barely played for the Heat this season, appearing in just three games. He fell out of favor with the club, serving three separate suspensions for violating team rules before being traded to Memphis.

Still, the Lakers are said to be in the market for a play-making perimeter scorer and Waiters could fit that bill. Of course, it’s worth noting fact that their meeting is set for March 2. Since March 1 represents the deadline for players to be waived and retain their postseason eligibility, the Lakers will know by next Monday whether there are other players on the buyout market who would be more favorable options than Waiters.

If the Lakers sign Waiters or another free agent, they’ll have to release someone from their 15-man roster. Troy Daniels and Quinn Cook would probably be the club’s most likely release candidates.

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