Should mid-season buyouts be allowed in the NBA?

There is a growing trend in the NBA which I am not the least bit fond of. It is the mid-season buyout. It occurs when one team acquires a player from another team, (lately in a trade) but the player’s new team has no intention of having the player in the lineup, and the player has no interest in reporting to the team either. As a result, the player is bought out, and is free to sign with any team in the NBA that he chooses. One reason why I don’t like these buy outs, is I feel lately for the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets supporters. The Raptors fan base have the genuine feel they got nothing from the Brooklyn Nets in the recent Spencer Dinwiddie trade, and the Hornets fan base believe they received less than what they were expecting from the Miami Heat for Terry Rozier. (Although Charlotte did get a first round pick).

Lowry, one of the game’s elite veteran point guards, is heading to his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers. After playing zero games for the Hornets, Lowry is about to play for his fifth NBA franchise, after previously playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. The move to Philadelphia makes more sense when you consider the fact the 76ers are having a tough time winning without the injured Joel Embiid, and that Lowry is very familiar with Philadelphia’s head coach Nick Nurse, as the two were united in Toronto.

Dinwiddie is joining his hometown team too, the Los Angeles Lakers. This is Dinwiddie’s fifth NBA franchise. He was previously with the Detroit Pistons (2014 to 2016), the Nets (2016 to 2021, 2022 to 2024), the Washington Wizards (2021 to 2022), and the Dallas Mavericks (2022 to 2023). In 48 games this season, Dinwiddie is averaging 12.6 points per game, six assists per game, and 3.3 rebounds per game, and has a field goal percentage of .391, free throw percentage of .794, and a three-point percentage of .331.