The Los Angeles Lakers hope to be in the running to sign free agent Will Barton who has been bought out of his deal with the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers are still in dire need of roster improvements after the trade deadline, when they were able to acquire a number of players who have seemingly already put the team in a better situation.
After dealing away Russell Westbrook, who has declined in recent years, the team has added D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura who all look to be upgrades at each position.
But the Lakers still could do with improvements at the forward position, with Barton being an ideal fit beside LeBron James.
Barton is a strong shooter from the three point range, something the team is in need of while being the worst shooting team in the league.
He also plays the same position as James, and could take some stress away from the 38-year-old who is playing in his 20th season.
Barton was released from the Wizards with the team unlikely to compete this season currently sitting outside of the playoff spots.
Because of that, the team has opted to play some of their younger players, to see what they have moving forward as they look forward to rebuilding their team.
Barton was traded to the Wizards last year after spending seven years with the Denver Nuggets, when he was dealt for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
As well as the Lakers, the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers are all expected to be interested.
Barton is likely to be the best player to become available for the rest of the season and could be the only real option to improve the Lakers and giving them any chance of making the playoffs this season.
The Lakers remain in 13th in the western conference, four wins outside of the playoffs.
