Salary cut of 16 million! Clay Haden is coming too! The Lakers form another Big Four?

Basketball Big History Ball

2024-06-30 12:40

As you know, the free market is about to open.

And as the free agency market gets closer and closer, more and more stars with player options are officially choosing to become free agents, such as James. Late last night, Shams reported that James gave up his $51.4 million player option for next season to become a free agent, and he is expected to sign a brand new contract with the Lakers.

According to previous reports, as long as James stays, the Lakers are willing to give James any contract he wants, and the maximum contract James can sign at present is 3 years and 162 million, and it contains a trade veto.

Now 39 years old, James is the oldest player in the league, but he is still at a good level, averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game last season, shooting 54.0%/41.0%/75.0% from three, and 63.0% from the field.

At this age, James actually delivered the highest three-point shooting percentage of his career, and was even selected for the best team, combined with his peak length, self-discipline, and the flow he carried, James can be said to have a top salary.

However, James doesn't seem to think so.

According to Chris Haynes of The Athletic, James is considering a new path for the team, and he is willing to take a pay cut to offer a full mid-range exception (about $12.95 million next season) for a suitable target.

At the same time, James' agent Rich Paul also said that James will prioritize improving the team's roster, and if an influential player can be brought in, he will cooperate with the Lakers in the negotiation of his next contract.

As for what makes "influential", ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin revealed that if it is an experienced veteran like Harden and Thompson, or a mature big man like Wallan, then James is willing to make financial sacrifices.

The current salary situation of the Lakers is not very ideal, if you want to use the full middle class, the Lakers will trigger the hard cap, according to calculations, James needs to take a salary cut of 16 million next season, and in three years, James needs to cut his salary by nearly 52 million - even if James is not short of money, this is a bit crazy.

So, is it possible for Klay and Harden to come over? The answer is yes.

Also today, Shams reported a lot about Thompson, saying that the Warriors are preparing for the loss of Thompson in free agency, and that there has been little communication between the two sides in the past 2 weeks, and there have been no offers, and both Thompson and the Warriors believe that their 13-year partnership is over.

More directly, Jordan Lawley, who has been Thompson's trainer for the past two years, posted a splash photo and wrote: "The end of an era. ”

As you can see, the probability of Thompson's departure is very, very high, and he does have the Lakers in his next home - according to Shams' colleague and TA reporter Jovan Buha, the Lakers, Mavericks, Clippers, and Nuggets are all interested in Klay.

Among them, Los Angeles is Thompson's hometown, Thompson's father is a former Lakers player, and he also worked as an announcer for the Lakers, and Thompson's father has expressed his hope that Thompson will also wear a Lakers jersey more than once.

And back in the summer of 2019, there was news that Thompson wanted to join the Lakers — five years ago, if the Lakers got the Bushy Eyebrows (the Bushy Eyebrows trade hadn't happened yet) and the Warriors weren't willing to offer a salary cap (Thompson was in a contract year at the time), then Thompson would join the Lakers.

Five years ago, the Warriors gave Thompson a maximum salary, and in the end Thompson stayed, and won the championship in 2022, but this time, judging from all sources, Thompson may leave the Warriors, as for joining the Lakers or the Mavericks, Clippers, and Nuggets, it will largely be related to sincerity (money).

Speaking of Harden, since the Clippers were eliminated, there has been very little news about Harden, and it seems that the Clippers' top priority is also to renew George, not Harden;

And let's be honest, after Harden's changes over the past few years, it wouldn't be a surprise that Harden made any moves in the offseason, including joining the Lakers with a full-length mid-range.

In the craziest scenario, the Lakers successfully signed Harden with the full middle class and then acquired Thompson through the signing, which could cost the Lakers Russell and some draft assets, and even require James to cut his salary more.

In this way, the set of potential starters that the Lakers can form is Harden + Reaves + Thompson + James + thick eyebrows, not to mention anything else, the traffic is absolutely full.

It's just, is it really the right thing to go after a veteran? The Lakers have made two similar mistakes in 2021 and 2022, when the two sunset red lineups formed at that time were not successful, and even went down in history in reverse - if it was the peak Harden and Thompson teaming up with James Mei, the picture is really unimaginable, but now, do you think it is appropriate?

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