The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024 season is off to an encouraging start.
They hired a bright young coach in JJ Redick. They took promising top-10 player Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They made history by teaming up LeBron James with his eldest son, Bronny James, with their 55th pick. They selected D’Angelo Russell, who was perhaps the biggest domino In the postseason, they joined, giving them a mid-sized expiring contract to potentially trade.
Then, on Saturday, about five hours before the 5 p.m. Eastern time deadline, LeBron James decided to opt out of his contract with the intention of re-signing with the Lakers, according to The athlete“Shams Charania.” The athlete It was previously reported that the Lakers wanted James back and were open to offering him any type of contract he preferred.
James’s opt-out is another win for the Lakers, who could save at least $1.5 million in cap value by not exercising his $51.4 million player option next season. (The tradeoff for James is that he is eligible to have a no-trade clause added to his contract, allowing him to control his future.)
James may be willing to take a bigger pay cut if it allows the Lakers to open up the non-taxable mid-level exception (worth an estimated $12.9 million) for the right types of players, according to Bleacher Report. James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN that his client would only be willing to accept a cut for an “impact player,” with James Harden, Klay Thompson and Jonas Valanciñas among the names reported to fit the bill. The non-taxable mid-level exception would be a significant pay cut for Harden and Thompson, in particular.
However, there is a mutual interest between the Lakers and Thompson, as well The athleteThis was first reported by Charania and Anthony Slater.
Thompson, a Southern California native, is the son of Michael Thompson, who played for the Showtime Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and is the team’s current radio commentator. The younger Thompson, 34, is a four-time NBA champion and one of the greatest shooters of all time. Thompson spent his 13 professional seasons with the Golden State Warriors, but the relationship has deteriorated to the point where Thompson will likely leave. The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are all seeking him.
If James agrees to a deduction for the Lakers to reach the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, the Lakers would be hard capped at the first apron of $178.7 million. This means James would have to take a cut of more than $16 million with his base salary at more than $33 million for the 2024-25 season. The most likely scenario for a pay cut would be for James to sign a two-year deal with a player option for 2025-26, allowing him to opt out in 2025 and re-sign for more money, according to league sources. The Lakers could also make a smaller salary offload trade (or two) to create more financial cap space and allow James a smaller cut.
If the Lakers fail to sign a star or high-level starter with the non-taxable mid-level exception, James will sign at the cap, according to ESPN. If LeBron re-signs at his 2024-25 cap hit (about $49.9 million), the Lakers will have about $182.3 million in committed salary. That leaves them $8 million short of the second apron ($189.5 million). James also wants to get his contract out before he begins training at the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball camp on July 6 in Las Vegas.
Regardless of what happens with James, the Lakers are in a good position to upgrade their roster if they choose to. And the ball is in their court as to how the rest of the season unfolds.
Earlier this week, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka tempered expectations — twice — by saying trades had become more difficult to implement under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. On the face of it, this appears to be true, given the new punitive restrictions imposed on the first and second stands.
Meanwhile, business activity over the past week, especially near the top of the Western Conference, paints a different reality. In that time, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for defensive player Alex Caruso, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham, and the Denver Nuggets traded for Darron Holmes II and Reggie Jackson was dumped in salary to try to retain Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. , the Dallas Mavericks gave up Tim Hardaway Jr.’s salary so they could keep rookie Derrick Jones Jr. (or sign Thompson) and the New Orleans Pelicans made a smart deal for former Lakers target Dejounte Murray.
The rest of the West is looking for ways to make deals that improve their rosters or serve as a precursor to other moves. Now the Lakers have to do the same.
The Lakers have the assets to make a big deal. Russell’s $18.7 million contract gives him a level of flexibility regarding the types of players he can pursue. Add to that two or three future first-round picks, up to three trade picks, and the average salaries of Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt, and/or Gabe Vincent, and the Lakers are capable of entering the conversation for any non-star player (and even some stars the least important). And this, again, is before we factor in the potential addition of Thompson or another high-impact player in exchange for a non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
In terms of trades, it seems unlikely that the Lakers would sign a third star to a deal, unless an unexpected star is secretly available. Donovan Mitchell is said to be likely to sign a contract extension with Cleveland, which could rule him out. Trae Young’s move from Clutch Sports to CAA also makes a deal to the Lakers less likely, as… The athlete It was previously reported. Murray is now in New Orleans and out of the lineup. Darius Garland may be available, but he’s a clear step down from the stars of Mitchell and Young.
Still, there are potential good options. Wings like Portland’s Jeremy Grant, former Lakers 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 bolster the Lakers’ perimeter defense, front-line size and/or floor space. Grant, for his part, would check all those boxes; he’s quietly shot 40 percent on threes in two consecutive seasons in Portland.
The Lakers roster, as currently constructed, isn’t good enough to get out of the Western Conference. They can win a round and maybe even two if the bracket breaks in their favor, but they have too many holes compared to the rest of the top-tier West, especially on the wing. Their perimeter size, defense, overall speed and athleticism are lacking compared to their competition. James and Davis recently stated that they believe this roster needs upgrades.
The Timberwolves, Thunder, Mavericks and Pelicans all have better rosters than they finished last season. Denver’s position could change if they lose Caldwell-Pope in free agency and the Clippers would likely regress if they lose Paul George, but the bigger point is that the rest of the West is reorganizing, which could create a bigger gap between them and the Lakers. If the Lakers are as serious about competing for championships with James and Davis as they claim, they need to bolster that supporting cast.
The most pressing complication facing this effort is the roster crisis the Lakers face. If LeBron James decides to renew his contract, he will have 14 players under contract after Russell, Christian Wood, Jackson Hayes and Cam Reddish chose to join the team, and they also chose Knecht and Bronny James. And that’s before we take into account the other free agents (Max Christie, Taurian Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie) or any potential free agents.
The Lakers have made a qualifying offer to Christie to officially make him a restricted free agent, team sources confirmed The athlete. The front office wants to keep Christie and envision him as a rotation player next season, according to those sources. However, the Lakers would need to come up with additional money and a roster spot to sign Christie and another player with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Had Russell chosen not to sign with the Lakers, he would have had fewer options in the transfer market. But with his option, James’ interest in taking a pay cut in favor of a suitable free agent, and the Lakers having a mid-sized payroll, two first-round picks, and multiple picks to trade, there’s no excuse for Los Angeles not significantly improving its roster with one or two big moves over the next few days. .
(Top image: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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