Soon after acquiring big man Daniel Theis via a salary-shedding trade for the New Orleans Pelicans last week, the OKC Thunder opted to waive his services which has thrust him into the open market of unrestricted free agency.
Despite being 32 years old and boasting rather limited upside as an overall talent, before the club decided to cut ties with the veteran several cases were made concerning the pros of keeping him aboard.
In the end, of course, Oklahoma City believed it was in their best interest to move on from the center, which, as a result, opened the door for them to sign standout rookie guard Ajay Mitchell to a standard, multi-year deal with the franchise.
Subsequently, this decision may have also provided one of their direct conference rivals an opportunity to address their ailing frontcourt rotation with a potential Daniel Theis pursuit, which could be especially beneficial following their latest trade tribulations.
Lakers could look to pursue Daniel Thies after departure from Thunder
The Los Angeles Lakers were easily the most exciting team to follow during this year's trade season shenanigans, as they executed the biggest blockbuster of the modern era of the NBA with their swap of Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.
While the move certainly set the team up for continued success and contention in the long run, as they essentially exchanged a 31-year-old, oft-injured big man for a jack-of-all-trades perennial MVP candidate six years younger, the move undoubtedly took a toll on their frontcourt arsenal for the loss of the 10-time All-Star in Davis is something that is bound to be felt in the short term.
As a way to try and make up for this self-inflicted rotational disparity, the Lakers struck a deal with the Hornets before last Thursday's deadline that agreed to send promising young big man Mark Williams to Los Angeles. This past Saturday, however, the deal was ultimately rescinded following a failed physical.
Now, still possessing question marks at their five spot while currently sporting the league's fifth-highest payroll, LA should now be searching for cheap and reliable options on the buyout market to help shore up this glaring weakness on their depth chart.
Theis just may be a realistic option to consider.
Throughout his eight-year tenure in the association, the veteran has established himself as a solid rotational big who has ample experience contributing to deep-run playoff squads.
Known as a sound defensive talent and a reliable rebounder, Theis boasts career averages of 7.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and just shy of a block per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field. In recent years, he's also become a capable floor spacer on the offensive end, as he cashed in on 36.6 percent of his three-point attempts just last season.
Though recent rumblings suggest Theis may be leaning toward playing pro-ball back in his home country of Germany, Los Angeles would be wise to inquire about his interest in joining forces with the new superstar tandem of LeBron James and Luka Doncic on the most storied franchise in the NBA.
On a minimum deal, the big man could prove to be a great bargain add for the playoff-hopeful Lakers.