Lakers agree to buyout with Corey Brewer, who hopes to land with playoff team

Veteran Corey Brewer agreed to a buyout Wednesday and flew back to Los Angeles to await his next step.

“I loved my time with the Lakers,” Brewer said by phone as he boarded his flight. “I love all the guys. Lot of good teammates. They’re a great young team, they’re going to be good.

“I can still play. But hey, I did what I had to do. I helped the guys as much as I could. I didn’t mind being a mentor. There’s a lot of good guys. When you can still play you want to be in a situation where you’re playing.”

Brewer said he hopes to land with a playoff team after clearing waivers.

Brewer has been with the Lakers since last February when the Lakers acquired him and a first-round pick from the Houston Rockets for Lou Williams. He took on a mentoring role with the team, as one of the few veteran voices for most of that time.

Coach Luke Walton called Brewer the “ultimate professional” for how he reacted to his diminishing playing time.

“He’s one of those guys that’s not afraid to be brutally honest with you,” Walton said. “I think that’s good for our young guys.”

Brewer, who turns 32 next week, played in all 24 games he was with the Lakers last season and the Lakers’ first 40 games this season. Since then, there have been six games in which Brewer did not play.

“I just want to play basketball,” Brewer said by phone as he boarded his flight. “Now I have an opportunity to play. Maybe help a playoff team make a run.”

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli