Lakers free agency: Three biggest offseason questions facing GM Rob Pelinka this summer

Who’re the Los Angeles Lakers? Are they the disorganized mess that traded for Russell Westbrookor the aggressive win-now contender that emerged after the commerce deadline in early February? Are they decrepit former champions clinging to 2020 glory as their stars age out of the NBA’s interior circle, or are they a slumbering juggernaut that simply hasn’t had its two greatest gamers on the ground collectively sufficient over the previous two seasons? Had been the Lakers an actual menace final 12 months? Are they one this 12 months? And why do they appear so fixated on being one a number of years from now?

There aren’t straightforward solutions to those questions. We won’t cleanly outline who the Lakers are as a result of it would not appear as if they know who’re they but both. In equity, they have not made any form of commitments but. Solely three Lakers have assured contracts for subsequent season. A couple of gamers are more likely to be again, however finally the Lakers will declare what kind of crew they actually wish to be within the coming days and weeks. Listed below are the three greatest questions they’re going to need to reply as they try this.

1. Who’s behind Door No. 2?

At each attainable flip, the Lakers have made it clear that they wish to run it again. “I believe maintaining that continuity goes to be essential,” Lakers normal supervisor Rob Pelinka stated throughout his joint exit interview with coach Darwin Ham. “We really feel like we have a gaggle of particular gamers within the locker room, they take pleasure in taking part in with one another, Darvin loves teaching them … so I’d say it is a excessive precedence to maintain our core gamers collectively.”

Doing so could be a primary within the LeBron James period. He’s about to enter his sixth season with the Lakers. They have not retained greater than seven gamers from the earlier season’s roster in any of them. There are query marks surrounding a number of of the gamers they’d hope to convey again, however most are comparatively keepable:

• Malik Beasley ($16.5 million) and I’m Bamba ($10.3 million) each have non-guaranteed contracts. The Lakers might want to determine what to do with them by Wednesday, June 28.
• Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves will each be restricted free brokers. The Lakers can match any supply they obtain. Moreover, Reaves can be restricted by the Gilbert Arenas provision, which is explained in more depth here. The quick model: his wage is proscribed subsequent season, however on a four-year deal, opposing groups may backload his contract in order that he earns as a lot because the max within the third and fourth season. His wage for subsequent season, nonetheless, will seemingly be the non-taxpayer mid-level quantity, which is projected at $12.2 million proper now.
• D’Angelo Russell can be a Full Chicken free agent. The Lakers will pay something as much as the max with a purpose to retain him.
• Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker IV can be Non-Chicken free brokers. The Lakers can supply them solely 20% raises on their prior salaries to maintain them with out utilizing both cap house or a cap exception. They would be the hardest Laker free brokers to maintain contemplating that limitation.

This lays out two comparatively simple “run it again” paths. The primary is essentially the most conservative. Preserve Beasley and Bamba, re-sign Reaves, Hachimura and Russell, after which both attempt to persuade Schroder or Walker to remain at lower than market-value, or discover cheaper replacements. Not very thrilling, however, hey, if the Lakers wish to maintain final 12 months’s crew in place, that is the way in which they will achieve this. This roster seemingly stretches deep into the luxurious tax, however there is no such thing as a cap mechanism stopping the Lakers from bringing most of those gamers again.

The marginally extra aggressive variant of this strategy includes waiving Beasley and Bamba. Doing so, relying on how a lot Hachimura and Russell demand, may open up the non-taxpayer mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to make use of on exterior free brokers. This strategy would permit the Lakers to maintain a very powerful elements of final 12 months’s crew in place whereas including on the fringes. If they’ve the non-taxpayer mid-level exception at their disposal, count on them to focus on wings (Harrison Barnes? Josh Hart? Max Strus? Bruce Brown?) and ball-handlers (Gabe Vincent? Jordan Clarkson? Seth Curry?) as their main offseason expenditure. The draw back danger right here is that utilizing the non-taxpayer mid-level exception onerous caps you on the first apron. Proper now, the projected determine there may be $171 million. The Lakers can work with that, however they discovered that onerous cap extraordinarily cumbersome in 2021, after they triggered it by signing Montrezl Harrell.

This strategy would roughly permit the Lakers to convey again the roster that reached the Western Convention finals. After all, it could additionally imply bringing again the roster bought swept there by the Nuggets. It is honest to consider, with James getting one other 12 months older, that final 12 months’s roster merely is not in the identical league as Denver, and that beating them will imply including a major participant from the skin. And that is what the Lakers can discover by trying behind Door No. 2.

Based mostly on present cap projections, the Lakers can get to round $29 million in cap house just by waiving Bamba and Beasley and renouncing the rights to their very own free brokers. In the event that they needed to get actually aggressive and transfer on from Jarred Vanderbiltthat determine jumps to round $32.5 million, however let’s use that first quantity as our barometer. On this state of affairs, the Lakers would nonetheless have the ability to retain the tiny cap maintain of Austin Reaves and re-sign him or match any supply sheet.

Are the Lakers a greater crew with Russell and depth (the Beasley/Bamba mixture, or maybe these two cap exceptions), or one massive splash like, say, Kyrie Irving? How about Chris Middleton or Fred VanVleet? May they make that massive splash whereas retaining Rui Hachimura? Presumably, although it could require a little bit of sacrifice on his half: take a one-year deal on the cap room mid-level exception ($7.6 million) after which re-sign for honest market worth in a 12 months. A majority of these agreements are comparatively widespread. Bobby Portis stayed in Milwaukee below a considerably related association.

If the Lakers needed to pay Hachimura a bit extra and nonetheless go for a big-name veteran, they might merely pay him with cap house and use the remainder on an exterior goal. How does Hachimura at $12 million, Brook Lopez at $18 million and a brand new level guard on the $7.6 million cap room mid-level exception sound? The Lakers in all probability cannot create sufficient room with this plan to convey Kyle Kuzma again, and his overlap with Hachimura in all probability prevents a reunion anyway, however that is one other identify that may in all probability curiosity them.

When you actually wish to get within the weeds, there are sign-and-trade eventualities obtainable for any of those massive names if the Lakers are keen to place their 2029 first-round choose on the desk and take care of that dreaded onerous cap, however the elementary query at play is identical regardless: do the Lakers wish to convey again final 12 months’s crew, or do they wish to attempt to enhance upon it?

2. In for a penny, out for the pound?

This query pertains to the primary, and comes right down to what this entrance workplace prioritizes. The Lakers bought credit score for remaking their roster on the commerce deadline, however they did not precisely go all-in to do it. They traded a single first-round choose, their 2027 choice, and guarded it in such a means that it’s going to not roll into future years if it doesn’t convey. The gamers they added have been all comparatively younger. They (appropriately) made Austin Reaves untouchable in commerce talks, but additionally held on to longer-term tasks like Max Christieand the 2023 draft got here and went and not using a main commerce. Now the Lakers have one other younger guard to develop in Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Having developmental tasks is never a foul factor, however ask the Warriors what occurs while you get too connected to the concept of a number of timelines. The Lakers have James and Anthony Davis proper now. They’ve a championship window which may not reopen for fairly a while, and as a lot promise as Reaves, Hachimura and Hood-Schifino might need, the Lakers need to know that they are not main the purple and gold to a title after LeBron is gone. Final 12 months’s crew was not less than one participant quick. May buying and selling the 2029 first-rounder on the deadline for one final piece have modified that? That is unknowable.

However between now and the 2024 deadline, the Lakers could have extra alternatives so as to add speedy expertise on the expense of their future. Their greatest hope at one other ring seemingly means sacrificing the long run. The entrance workplace has not but proven a lot willingness to do this. It is in all probability a very powerful query going through the Lakers proper now. They in all probability have the chips to construct a championship crew, however they need to determine if they’ve the abdomen to make use of them.

3. Breaking the financial institution for the oft-broken massive?

In August, Davis will turn into eligible for an extension on the five-year contract he signed again in 2020. If he would not get one, he, like James, can turn into a free agent subsequent offseason. Their departures would finish their period in Lakers historical past. Extensions may maintain it going a bit longer, or, if James walks and Davis stays, not less than give them room to pivot.

Davis will certainly ask for the max. How comfy will the Lakers be giving to him? The reporting has been combined up to now. Brian Windhorst steered that it was an offseason precedence for the crew. Dave McMenamin hinted that there might be a little bit of trepidation. Such trepidation is warranted.

Davis performed 76 video games within the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons mixed. That is the draw back danger of a Davis extension. However how interesting is even the best-case state of affairs? Davis seemed like an MVP at factors final season and was largely large within the playoffs. He nonetheless solely performed 56 video games, and whereas his protection was unimpeachable within the playoffs, his offense was nonetheless pretty inconsistent. He is 30 and his bounce shot has regressed to the purpose the place he’s largely solely an efficient participant close to the rim on offense at this stage of his profession. How is he going to look in 5 years?

These negotiations are going to be delicate, contemplating the affect Klutch Sports activities wields inside the Lakers. In an ideal world, the Lakers would in all probability give Davis an extension for only some seasons. Wealthy Paul has by no means been recognized for his flexibility. The truth is that if the Lakers do not prolong Davis this offseason, they’re in all probability going to have to simply accept the truth that he may search a brand new house subsequent summer time, particularly if James leaves. With that in thoughts, a Davis extension might be barely likelier than not, however the long-term dangers are large.