After playing sparingly for the Phoenix Suns through the first eight outings of their 2018 campaign, Tyson Chandler is set to move on after over three years with the club.
Chandler and the Suns have agreed to buyout his $13 million-plus contract, a decision that the two sides had reportedly agreed to for some time now. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Chandler will join the Los Angeles Lakers once the buyout is finalized.
As @TheSteinLine reports, center Tyson Chandler is getting a buyout with the Suns and will become a free agent upon clearing waivers. Chandler will sign with the Lakers, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2018
Suns and Chandler have had a mutual agreement on a buyout on his $13M-plus expiring deal for some time now, but Chandler needed a landing spot. Chandler found it with Lakers, who need size, and as @espn_macmahon says, will welcome his locker room presence. https://t.co/swUWLgLOOL
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2018
While this may not be a flashy move by any means, it’s a transaction that appears to benefit every party involved.
The Suns were able to move on from an unfriendly contract that they were paying to a player that wasn’t heavily involved in their rotation. While Tyson Chandler is still capable of holding down a decent dosage of bench minutes, Phoenix has shown a tendency to play more small ball this season and deploy Ryan Anderson as their backup center. With a slew of talented forwards such as Trevor Ariza, TJ Warren, and Josh Jackson, going smaller makes sense, which left Chandler as the odd man out.
For the Lakers, they add a bit of depth to their most inexplicably shallow position. Currently, starter JaVale McGee is the only true center on the roster besides third-year man Ivica Zubac. Though Moritz Wagner could also potentially log minutes at the 5, his ongoing development will be a long process for the Lakers.
Chandler provides Los Angeles with a true backup center, and a solid rim runner to pair with LeBron James. With such an inexperienced core as well, Chandler brings championship pedigree to a young locker room, something that could pay major dividends for the Lakers come playoff time.
