NBA: Chandler: Buyout at the Suns – Change to the Lakers?

Tyson Chandler is bought out of his contract by the Phoenix Suns, according to media reports. The next station is apparently already as good as determined.

Chandler, 36, is still earning $13.6 million this season, but that’s apparently being paid out to the center, as the New York Times first reported. Once his waiver process is complete, Chandler becomes a Free Agent and can join any franchise.

According to ESPN, Chandler will then sign a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers to provide the much needed backup for JaVale McGee. Last time the Lakers had used Johnathan Williams on the Five Two-Way-Player, otherwise only the German rookie Moritz Wagner is available for the position.

Chandler, who won the title in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks, is also regarded as a highly respected presence and is supposed to provide the young players in the team with guidance as a veteran. The Big Man is now in his 18th season and is no longer the athlete of earlier days, but last season he still scored 6.5 points and an average of 9.1 rebounds for the Suns.

For the Lakers, Chandler is definitely the right person for the job: In the public meeting between Magic Johnson and Luke Walton, the head coach is said to have explicitly asked for reinforcement in the big positions.