He hired a talented young coach in JJ Redick. They landed top-10 prospect Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They made history by pairing LeBron James with his eldest son, Bronny James, with their No. 55 pick. D’Angelo Russell, possibly their biggest domino of the offseason, opted to give him a medium-sized expiring contract in exchange for a potential trade.
Then, on Saturday, about five hours before the 5 p.m. (ET) deadline, LeBron James opted out of his contract with the intention of re-signing with the Lakers. athleticShams Charania. athletic It was previously reported that the Lakers want James to return and are willing to offer him any type of contract they like.
James opting out is another win for the Lakers, who could save at least $1.5 million on their cap sheet by not having to exercise their $51.4 million player option for next season. (The compromise for James is that he is eligible to have a no-trade clause added to his contract, which would allow him to control his future.)
According to Bleacher Report, James may be willing to take an even bigger pay cut than that if it allows the Lakers to open the non-taxpayer midlevel exception (worth about $12.9 million) for the right type of players. James’s agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN that his client would only be willing to take a waiver for an “impactful player”, citing James Harden, Klay Thompson and Jonas Valanciunas as names who would fit the bill. . The non-taxpayer midfield exception would be a significant pay cut, especially for Harden and Thompson.
However, there is mutual interest between the Lakers and Thompson athletic’Charania and Anthony Slater first reported.
Thompson, a Southern California native, is the son of Mychal Thompson, who played for the Showtime Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and is the team’s current radio color commentator. The 34-year-old Young Thompson is a four-time NBA champion and one of the greatest shooters of all-time. Thompson has spent 12 of his pro seasons with the Golden State Warriors, but the relationship has broken down to the point where Thompson is likely leaving. The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers are all pursuing him.
If James takes the waiver to allow the Lakers to reach their full non-taxpayer midtier exception, the Lakers will be hard-capped on the first apron at $178.7 million. That means James will have to take more than $33 million off his starting salary for the 2024-25 season. According to league sources, the pay cut would most likely result in James signing a two-year deal with a player option for 2025–26, giving him the option to opt out in 2025 and re-sign for more money. Will get permission. The Lakers could also make a small salary-dump trade (or two) to create more financial room and allow James to take a smaller cut.
According to ESPN, if the Lakers do not find a star or high-level starter with their non-taxpayer midlevel exception, James will sign Max. If LeBron re-signs at his maximum for 2024-25 (approximately $49.9 million), the Lakers will have approximately $182.3 million in committed salary. This leaves them less than $8 million under the second apron ($189.5 million). James also wants to settle his contract before practice begins at the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball minicamp on July 6 in Las Vegas.
No matter what happens with James, the Lakers are in a good position to upgrade their roster if they want. The proverbial ball is in their court as to how the remainder of this offseason unfolds.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka dashed expectations earlier in the week by saying — twice — that trades are difficult to execute under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. At face value, given the new punitive restrictions of the first and second aprons, this is true.
At the same time, last week’s trading activity, especially near the top of the Western Conference, painted a different reality. In that time, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for defensive ace Alex Caruso, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham, the Denver Nuggets traded for Deron Holmes II and attempted to retain Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Salary-dumped trade for Reggie Jackson. , the Dallas Mavericks reduced Tim Hardaway Jr.’s salary so they could keep starter Derrick Jones Jr. (or sign Thompson) and the New Orleans Pelicans made a smart deal for former Lakers goaltender Dejounte Murray.
The rest of the West is looking for ways to make trades that improve their roster or serve as precursors to other moves. Now it’s up to the Lakers to do the same.
They have remarkable business assets. Russell’s $18.7 million contract gives them a level of flexibility in terms of the type of players they can pursue. Add one or both of their future first-round selections, a three-pick swap and the medium-sized salaries of Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and/or Gabe Vincent, and the Lakers could be in the conversation for any non-star. (And even some lower level stars). That is, again, before even considering the potential addition of Thompson or another high-impact player to their non-taxpayer midtier exception.
As far as a trade goes, it seems unlikely for the Lakers to acquire a third star in a deal, unless an unexpected star secretly becomes available. Donovan Mitchell is reportedly likely to sign a contract extension with Cleveland, which would rule him out. Trae Young’s switch from Klutch Sports to CAA also reduces the possibility of a trade with the Lakers athletic previously reported. Murray is now in New Orleans and off the board. Maybe Darius Garland becomes available, but he’s a step down from the Mitchell and Young class of stars.
Still, there are potentially good alternatives out there. Wings like Portland’s Jerami Grant, former Lakers player Kyle Kuzma and Nets duo Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson are expected to be available on the trade market, according to league sources. They’re not the biggest needle-movers, but any of those four players would enhance the Lakers’ perimeter defense, frontcourt size and/or floor spacing. Grant, for his part, will check every one of those boxes; He’s quietly shot over 40 percent on 3s in back-to-back seasons in Portland.
The Lakers roster, as currently constructed, is not good enough to make it out of the Western Conference. If the bracket breaks in their favor they could win a round and maybe even two, but they have a lot more holes than the rest of the top West, especially on the wing. Their perimeter size, defense, and overall speed and athleticism are lacking compared to their competition. James and Davis recently stated that they believe this roster needs an upgrade.
The Timberwolves, Thunder, Mavericks and Pelicans all have better rosters than last season. Denver’s standings could change if they lose Caldwell-Pope in free agency, and the Clippers’ standings are likely to drop if they lose Paul George, but the bigger picture is that the rest of the West is improving. , potentially creating even more distance between them and the Lakers. If the Lakers are as serious about competing for championships with James and Davis as they claim, they will need to strengthen this supporting cast.
The most immediate complication in this endeavor is the roster shortage the Lakers face. Assuming LeBron James re-signs, they will have 14 players under contract after selecting Russell, Christian Wood, Jackson Hayes and Cam Reddish and drafting Knecht and Bronny James. This is before including their other free agents (Max Christie, Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie) or any potential free agents.
Lakers made Christie a qualifying offer to officially make him a restricted free agent, team sources confirm Athletic. According to those sources, the front office would like to retain Christie and see him as a rotation player next season. However, the Lakers will need to clear additional money and a roster spot to sign both Christie and another player with the non-taxpayer midlevel exception.
If Russell had picked up the option, the Lakers would have had less options in the trade market. But with their selection, James is interested in cutting salary for the right free agent and the Lakers are armed with several medium-sized salaries, two first-round picks and several pick swaps for a trade, so that may not be the case for Los Angeles. There’s no excuse for doing it. Dramatically improve your roster with a big move or two over the next few days.
(Top photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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