Paper Guiluo City | The opponent has strengthened one after another, Zhan Huang's sincerity is full, why haven't the Lakers made a move?

Basketball in L.A

2024-07-01 10:07Creators in the field of sports

Paper Guiluo City | The opponent has strengthened one after another, Zhan Huang's sincerity is full, why haven't the Lakers made a move?

The Los Angeles Lakers' 2024 offseason is off to an encouraging start.

They hired a talented young coach, JJ Redick. In the 2024 NBA Draft, he selected Dalton Knecht, a top-10 rookie who was originally predicted, with the 17th pick. They drafted Bronny James with the 55th pick, achieving a historic moment for LeBron James to be on the same team as his eldest son, Bronny. D'Angelo Russell, who could be their biggest chip in the offseason, opted to exercise the player option, which offered them a mid-sized expiring contract that could be trade-for.

Then, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, LeBron James chose to jump out of his contract at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, nearly five hours before the deadline, with the intention of re-signing with the Lakers. The Athletic previously reported that the Lakers want James back and are willing to offer him any type of contract he likes.

James' opt-out of contract is another win for the Lakers, as he doesn't exercise his $51.4 million player option for next season, and the Lakers could save at least $1.5 million in salary caps (for James, the benefit of this is that he is eligible to include a no-trade clause in his contract, which would allow him to control his future).

According to the Bleacher Report, James may be willing to accept a larger salary cut on top of that if the Lakers can make a full mid-range exception (worth about $12.9 million) for the right player. James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN that his clients are only willing to choose pay cuts for "influential players," and James Harden, Klay Thompson, and Jonas Valanciunas all reportedly fit the bill. For Harden and Thompson in particular, a full mid-range exception contract would be a significant pay cut.

However, as The Athletic first reported, there is a similar common interest between the Lakers and Thompson.

A native of Southern California, Thompson is the son of Michael Thompson, who played for the Showtime-era Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and is now the team's radio announcer. Thompson, a four-time NBA champion at 34, is one of the greatest shooters of all time. Thompson spent his 13-year career with the Golden State Warriors, but the relationship has broken down and there is a good chance that Thompson will leave. The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers are all pursuing him.

If James chooses to take a pay cut in order for the Lakers to get a full mid-range exception, the Lakers' first luxury tax line will reach $178.7 million. That means James has to accept a pay cut of more than $16 million, while his starting salary for the 2024-25 season is around $33 million. According to league sources, the most likely package is for James to sign a two-year contract with a player option for the 2025-26 season, allowing him the option to jump out in 2025 and re-sign with a higher salary. The Lakers could also make one (or two) smaller payroll contract trades to create more wiggle room for James to accept a smaller pay cut.

According to ESPN, James will sign a max contract if the Lakers can't sign a star or high-caliber starter with a full mid-range exception. If LeBron renews his salary cap (about $49.9 million) for the 2024-25 season, the Lakers will have a salary scale of about $182.3 million. As a result, they are less than $8 million away from the second luxury tax line ($189.5 million). James is also hoping to resolve his contract issues ahead of the U.S. men's basketball Olympic mini-camp in Las Vegas on July 6.

Regardless of James' situation, the Lakers have the ability to upgrade their roster if they want to. As for how the rest of the offseason plays out, it's up to them.

Earlier this week, Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' vice president and general manager of basketball operations, said twice that deals are more difficult to execute under the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, lowering expectations. On the face of it, this is indeed true, given the punitive restrictions on the new first and second luxury tax lines.

At the same time, the trade activity of the past week, especially for the top teams in the Western Conference, paints a different reality. During that time, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded defensive ace Alex Caruso, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for No. 8 pick Lobert Dillingham, and the Denver Nuggets acquired Daron Holmes and sent away Reggie Jackson in an attempt to keep Caldwell Pope, but ultimately fell short. The Dallas Mavericks sent away Tim Hardaway Jr. in order to keep starting Derrick Jones Jr. (or sign Thompson). The New Orleans Pelicans, on the other hand, traded a shrewd trade for Lakers target Dejounte Murray.

Other teams in the West are looking for ways to make trades that will improve their rosters or serve as a prelude to other moves. Now, the Lakers are going to do the same.

They have enough assets to close a compelling deal. Russell's $18.7 million contract gives them a level of flexibility to pursue different types of players. Add to that one or two of their future first-round picks, as many as three picks in exchange, and salary contracts with Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, or Gabe Vincent, and the Lakers can have a conversation with any non-star player (or even some low-level star players). And that's when considering that Thompson or other influential players might sign their full mid-range exception.

As far as a trade goes, it seems unlikely that the Lakers will get a third star in the trade, barring an unexpected event. According to reports, Donovan Mitchell is likely to sign a contract extension with Cleveland, which would rule him out. Trae Young's move from Klutch Sports to CAA also makes a trade to the Lakers less likely, as previously reported by The Athletic. Murray, who has now arrived in New Orleans, has also been dropped from the shortlist. Maybe the Cavaliers' Garland can get it, but he's clearly a notch down from stars of Mitchell and Young's class.

Still, there are some great potential options. Portland's Grant, former Lakers player Kyle Kuzma, and the Nets' duo of Smith and Johnson are expected to be on the trade market, according to league sources. They're not the most reliable stars, but any of these four players will enhance the Lakers' perimeter defense, frontcourt size, or space on the court. Grant can do any of them; He shot over 40 percent from three-point range in Portland for two consecutive seasons.

The Lakers' current roster isn't good enough to stand out from the Western Conference. They could win one or even two rounds in the playoffs if the schedule was in their favor, but their roster has too many holes compared to other powerhouses in the West, especially on the wings. They are lacking in outside size, defense, overall speed, and athleticism compared to their competitors. James and Davis recently said they think the roster needs to be upgraded.

The Timberwolves, Thunder, Mavericks and Pelicans all have stronger rosters than they did last season. The Denver Nuggets could change their standings after losing Caldwell Pope to the free agent market; If the Clippers lose Paul George, they could also drop down the rankings, but more importantly, other teams in the West are undergoing a reshuffle, which could widen the distance between them and the Lakers. If the Lakers really want to compete for a championship with James and Davis, as they claim, they will have to strengthen the team's roster of role players.

The most immediate complicating factor in this effort is the roster shortage that the Lakers are facing. Assuming LeBron James re-signs, they will have 14 players under contract after Russell, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish opt to renew their contracts, and they draft Knecht and Bronny James. And that's not counting the other free agents on their roster (Max Christie, Taurien Prince, and Spencer Dinwiddie) or any future free agents.

According to team sources who confirmed to The Athletic, the Lakers made a qualifying offer to Christie, making him officially a restricted free agent. According to these sources, the Lakers hierarchy wants to keep Christie and see him as a rotation player for next season. However, the Lakers need to clear more money and a roster spot before they can sign Christie and another player with a full mid-tier exception.

If Russell opts out, the Lakers will have less room to maneuver in the trade market. But with his opt-in to execute the player draft, James interested in taking a pay cut for a suitable free agent, and the Lakers have multiple mid-level exceptions, two first-round picks, and multiple draft pick swaps to trade, there's no reason why Los Angeles can't drastically improve the team's roster with one or two big moves over the next few days.

View original image 223K