Lakerholics

While Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham have done a great job transforming the Lakers into legitimate contenders, their greatest achievement could turn out to be how they’ve positioned the team to transition from LeBron James.

As Kobe’s agent, Pelinka remembers how tough it was on the Lakers after the team gave Bryant his last big contract and it took a decade to recover and win after Mamba retired. Rob’s committed not to let that happen again. Every move the Lakers made at the trade deadline and this summer was part of a plan to create a roster that could both win without LeBron James and complement and empower Anthony Davis as team’s alpha superstar.

While all the talk of retirement may be premature, Pelinka and Ham know the coming year could be the last year LeBron James wears purple and gold. He might retire or might leave to play with Bronny on another team. The Lakers must be ready to move on. They worked hard over the last year remaking the roster into a legitimate contender and cleaning up their cap sheet so that they have a bevy of tradable contracts and draft capital.

Pelinka and Ham not only built a championship caliber roster that could give James and Davis a chance to win this season but they did it exclusively with younger players specifically chosen for their fits with AD’s timeline. The Lakers did not even add a single player over 30 years of age. Instead, they added young, big, long, athletic players who better fit AD’s timeline and would still be in their prime long after LeBron James had retired.

As the Lakers add the final touches to next season’s roster, Pelinka and Ham have the team perfectly positioned to make a smooth and successful three-step transition from LeBron James to the Anthony Davis era.

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Step 1: Agreeing Upon Anthony Davis’ Extension

Step 1 to transition from LeBron James is getting Anthony Davis to sign an extension. Davis will be eligible on August 4th to sign a 3-year $167.6 million extension, committing him to the Lakers for 5-years $251.4 million.

While critics can complain about the games missed due to injuries and the inconsistency on offense, Pelinka and Ham know how essential Anthony Davis is to the Los Angeles Lakers’ current or future championship hopes. The Lakers would be fools to try and trade Davis with this possibly being James’ last year in purple and gold. Internally, the Lakers know they have no option other than to go all-in on Anthony Davis at this point in time.

By locking Davis up for the next five years, the Lakers get the anchor they need to make a smooth and successful transition from LeBron James. It also allows James the freedom to stay with the team as long as he wants. The Lakers know they need continuity to win championships and that starts with locking up Davis for the next five years. Look closely and you can see this roster was built more for Anthony Davis than LeBron James.

The Lakers expressed desire to return to the two-bigs model they used to win the 2020 championship in the bubble is another sign that the Lakers are committed to signing superstar Anthony Davis to a 3-year extension. The Lakers grand plan is to move forward with Anthony Davis and a second superstar who would replace LeBron James, They’ve built a roster that should make them the most coveted landing spot for NBA superstars.

And that is how it should be going forward. Maybe LeBron will bounce back and hold Father Time off for another year but the Lakers are betting on this being Anthony Davis’ team and AD taking the torch from LeBron.

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Step 2: Building Roster To Complement Anthony Davis

Step 2 to transition from LeBron James is building a roster to complement and empower Anthony Davis, which is exactly what Pelinka and Ham have successfully been doing since the trade deadline and over the summer.

The Lakers signing Anthony Davis to an extension and then suddenly wanting to revert back to the two-big model used to win their 17th championship in not coincidence. It’s the Lakers doing what AD wants. From the day he joined the Lakers, AD has always been willing to play the five when needed but preferred to play the four. That’s why the Lakers are so focused on Christian Wood. They want a stretch five to play with AD.

And while Pelinka and Ham built a team that could contend for a title, they also did something remarkable in its success and daring, which is build a roster designed to complement Anthony Davis instead of LeBron James; Look at the ages of the players the Lakers have assembled: James 38, Davis 30, Prince 29, Russell 27, Vincent 27, Reaves 25, Hachimura 25, Vanderbilt 24, Hayes 23, Reddish 23, Lewis 20, Hood-Schifino 20, Christie 20.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the only Lakers players on the roster over 30-years old. This roster was specifically built for Anthony Davis’ championship window rather than LeBron James possible last season.
The only ways the Lakers acquire a superstar to replace LeBron James is to trade for one or sign one as a free agent. What Pelinka and Ham have done is collect assets that give the Lakers great flexibility to replace James.

The Lakers have one final roster spot to fill, which they plan to fill with a stretch big who space the court and provide more shooting. Top candidates are Christian Wood, Bismack Biyombo, Rudy Gay, and Davis Bertans.

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Step 3: Acquiring LeBron James’ Replacement

Step 3 to transition from LeBron James is acquiring the superstar player to replace him, which is always the most difficult step to accomplish. The Lakers can either sign James’ replacement in free agency or trade for him.

How the Lakers replace LeBron will depend on when and how he decides to leave the team. James has a player option for next season, which could make him an free agent next year if he were to exercise it next summer. What James decides will obviously depend heavily on what happens this season. It’s also possible that LeBron feels so good about his own health and the team the Lakers have put together that he signs an extension.

Frankly, the last thing the Lakers want to see is LeBron exercise his player option and retire next season as there is no way with their recent additions that they could clear enough cap space to replace James via free agency. They’re hoping LeBron will decline his player option and play out the last two years of his contract. That would allow for teams, players, and fans to enjoy the farewell tour LeBron deserves for all he’s done for the NBA.

Strategically, that would allow the Lakers to potentially position themselves to be able to clear enough cap space to use James’ expiring salary to sign his replacement via free agency or trade or sign-and-trade for a superstar. After the 2024–25 season, the Lakers would have 6 players under contract for $89 million in salaries. With a projected salary cap of $156 million, the Lakers should easily be able to clear cap space for a max salary superstar.

While it wouldn’t surprise anybody if Davis and James both ended up signing extensions, the Lakers project LeBron James to decline his 2024–25 player option and play the final year of his contract before finally retiring.

If we’re to believe Rob Pelinka, one of the major changes the Lakers could be planning to deploy for the coming season is to go “back to the two-big model they used” to win their 2020 NBA Championship in the bubble.

Pelinka told ESPN the Lakers “have had talks with Anthony Davis about going back to the two-big model they used with Dwight Howard/JaVale McGee.” He also said “it was a big reason why Jaxson Hayes was signed.” Before Pelinka’s comments, Rui Hachimura was expected to be the fifth starter along with James, Davis, Reaves, and Russell. Not it looks as if the Lakers may also experiment in training camp with Jaxon Hayes starting.

During their 2020 championship regular season and playoffs, the Lakers two-big lineups dominated points-in-the-paint by 7.0 points per game while remaining close with respect to free throws made and 3-pointers made. Unfortunately, the move to play more small ball with Anthony Davis at center during the next three seasons led to the Lakers’ points-in-the-paint differential and positional size advantage completely disappearing.

That’s why the Lakers’ desire to return to the two-big model that won the championship should be a smart move, especially after losing to the bigger Nuggets and watching more and more teams opting to go with two-bigs.

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Why Lakers Should Start Jaxson Hayes at Center

Starting Jaxson Hayes at the five with Anthony Davis at the four in a two-big lineup is more about the Lakers’ need to get bigger to dominate the boards and the paint than a pressing need to find minutes for the young 7-footer.

Frankly, by going big, the Lakers are essentially doubling down on their proven game strategy of winning the points-in-the-paint and free-throws-made competitions by more than they lose the the 3-point competition. Starting two bigs also makes a lot of sense to help the Lakers navigate the long regular season. It can help win games and reduces the wear-and-tear on Anthony Davis to keeps him fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

That’s not to say that Jaxson Hayes is not a talented young player with great size and athleticism. At 7′ 0″ and 220 lbs, Hayes’ four years with the Pelicans is filled with highlight reels of thunderous dunks and eye-dropping blocks. In his third season with the Pels, Hayes started 28 games and averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 boards, 0.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 steals in 20.0 minutes per game shooting 55.1% from field, 35.1% from deep, 76.6% from the line.

Unfortunately, Hayes’ fourth season was derailed by injuries that led to his play regressing and limited him to just 47 games. In the end, the Pelicans decided it was best to let Jaxson Hayes walk for nothing as a free agent.
The Lakers are hoping they can reach Hayes and get him to buy in to doing what they need from him as a big playing with and without Anthony Davis. The Lakers hope their staff can do for Hayes’ what they did for Monk.

Hayes doesn’t need to play like an all star for the Lakers two-big model to work. All he has to do is play solid drop coverage, rebound the ball, and protect the rim on defense and dunk every chance he gets on offense.
His presence alone with transform the Lakers’ dynamic at both ends and free up LeBron James and Anthony Davis to slide down a position and enjoy positional size advantage to dominate the paint going forward.

The Lakers wanted to go back to the two-big model to start last season but neither Damian Jones or Thomas Bryant was good enough to fill the starter role so the Lakers were forced to revert back to Anthony Davis at center. There’s a good chance that Jaxson Hayes will prove capable of holding down the starting center role next to Anthony Davis. It may not happen immediately but it’s high on the Lakers list of priorities for next season.

The Los Angeles Lakers need to restore the positional size advantage they enjoyed when they won their 17th championship in 2020 by starting 7′ 0″ center Jaxson Hayes alongside 6′ 11″ Anthony Davis in a two-big lineup.

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Why Lakers Should NOT Start Jaxson Hayes at Center

The main reason the Lakers should not start the Jaxson Hayes at center alongside Anthony Davis in a two-big lineup because playing two bigs who don’t even shoot 30% from deep does not work in the modern NBA.

What the Lakers need to realize is this is no longer 2020. LeBron and AD are three years older and the teams with whom they’re competing are bigger and better than the ones they faced and defeated in the bubble. Strategically, what the Lakers need in a starting center is a legitimate stretch five who has the 3-point gravity to insure his defender remains attached and isn’t sagging off to pack the paint against LeBron and AD.

While the Lakers would like to return to the two-big model, they realize the only way they can effectively do that is with a center who can shoot the ball and space the floor rather than a traditional defensive oriented center. That’s why the Lakers are interested in Christian Wood, who not only has the size and length to protect the rim but also is an elite 3-level scorer who has shot over 50% from the field and over $37% from deep the last 4 years.

While the Lakers are hoping to be able to sign Christian Wood to a free agent minimum salary contract, there’s potential competition from the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat that could end up paying him more money. Wood is holding out hoping the Bulls, Heat, or Lakers will end up offering him more than the minimum. He desperately wants to avoid the negative stigma of having to accept a veteran’s minimum salary to stay in the league.

The Lakers do have the ability to pull off a sign-and-trade with the Mavs for Christian Wood but it would mean trading fan favorite Jarred Vanderbilt, who will be on the final year of his very favorable $4.7 million contract. One major benefit of trading for Wood is it gives the Lakers his Bird rights so they could go over the cap to re-sign him instead of possibly losing him to free agency like happened with Malik Monk and Lonnie Walker.

As for Hayes, the Lakers see him as more in the Howard/McGee mold of defensive center who starts and eats minutes but doesn’t close games in the regular season and becomes the backup center off bench in the playoffs. While he’s not Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes shot 35.1% while making 57 threes in 70 games 2 years ago and has consistently shot over 70% from the line since being in the league. Only 23, he could develop into a stretch 4/5.

The Lakers desire to play two-bigs could shape the team’s starting lineup for the coming season. Whether Christian Wood or Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers focus in camp and preseason will be testing the two-big model.

Just when you thought the Lakers were done making trades this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks raised the possibility that they might be willing to make Christian Wood available in a sign-and-trade for the right player.

This news immediately raised the possibility of the Dallas Mavericks signing-and-trading stretch forward/center Christian Wood for the Los Angeles Lakers ace defensive forward and fan favorite Jarred Vanderbilt. The 27-year old 6′ 9,” 214 lb Wood is the perfect stretch four/five the Lakers need to create space and driving lanes for superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack the paint and get to the rim for easy baskets.

While trading Vanderbilt would be a tough pill to swallow, Wood is a greater overall talent and better fit for what LeBron James and Anthony Davis need right now, which is a modern center who can stretch the floor. Under the new CBA rules for team’s under the hard cap, the Lakers could accept a 3-year sign-and-trade contract for as much as $9.6 million per year giving them Wood’s Bird rights so they could go over the cap to re-sign him.

The Lakers should trade for Christian Wood to upgrade the team’s 3-point shooting, add a clutch scorer to close games, increase team’s positional size advantage, secure Wood’s Bird rights, and open a roster spot for Biyombo.

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1. Upgrade Team’s 3-Point Shooting

Christian Wood is exactly the kind of elite shooter with 3-point gravity to keep defenders attached and open up floor space and driving lanes for Lakers’ superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to get to the rim.

During the 2022–23 season, the Los Angeles Lakers 31.2 3-point attempts per game ranked 27th, their 10.8 3-point shots made per game ranked 24th, and their 34.6% 3-point completion percentage ranked 25th in the league. During the playoffs, the Lakers 33.5 3-point attempts per game ranked 14th out of 16 teams, their 10.1 3-point shots made per game ranked 13th, and their 33.5% 3-point completion percentage ranked 11th in the league.

In last four seasons, Wood has made 37.6%, 39.0%, and 37.4%, and 38.6% from deep. During those 4 years, he made 367 out of 961 3-point attempts for a completion percentage of 38.2% on 4.0 3-point attempts per game. During his last three years, Vanderbilt averaged 32.2%, 14.3%, and 20% from deep. During those 3 years, he made 32 out of 109 3-point attempts for a completion percentage of 29.4% on 0.5 3-point attempts per game.

One of advantages of trading Vanderbilt for Wood is it would dramatically improve the Lakers 3-point shooting volume and percentage and create better spacing for superstars James and Davis to attack the paint and rim.

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2. Adds Clutch Scorer To Close Games

One can question Wood’s defensive inconsistencies and issues but, with his size and athleticism, he was the NBA’s most efficient three-level scorers in the league, able to score efficiently from deep, midrange, or at the rim.

Over the last four years, Wood averaged 16.6, 17.9, 21.0, 13.1 points in 25.9, 30.8, 32.3, 21.4 minutes per game while shooting 51.5%, 50.1%, 51.4%, 56.7% from the field and 37.6%, 39.0%, 37.4%, 38.6% on 3-point shots.
Wood is a proven three-level scorer who can efficiently shoot the three ball, pull up for a midrange jumper, or attack the rim with vicious dunks. He would give the Lakers a great third option to close games in the clutch.

One of the Lakers biggest weaknesses was not having an elite offensive scorer whom they could give the ball to get a shot to close out games. Christian Wood would give the Lakers a clutch scorer to close out games. The Lakers desperately need a player like DeRozan, Bogdanovic, or Wood who can get to his spot and get a high quality shot whenever he wants. Watch the above video and you can see Wood’s upside is elite starter.

Unlike featuring LeBron who’s slowing down or AD who needs somebody to get him the ball, the Lakers can just give the ball to Wood and trust him to go one-on-one and get a great shot regardless who’s defending him.

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3. Increases Positional Size Advantage

One of the advantages of the Lakers trading for Christian Wood is he gives them a perfect stretch four or five to play alongside Anthony Davis in a two-big lineup like the Lakers ran to win the 2020 championship in the bubble.

By starting the 6′ 9″ Christian Wood next to the 6′ 11″ Anthony Davis and 6′ 9″ LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers immediately become a bigger and better team at both ends of the court, dominating the boards and paint. During the last four four years, Christian averaged 7.3, 10.1, 9.6, and 6.3 rebounds per game, 1.1, 1.0, 1.2, and 0.9 blocks per game, and 0.4, 0.8, 0.8, and 0.5 steals per game in 25.9, 30.8, 32.3, and 21.4 minutes per game.

While there have been troubling incidents in the past, the Lakers coaching staff knows how to reach players and get the best out of them. Were a sign-and-trade to happen, there’d definitely be direct discussions with Wood. There’s always the risk that the player is just incorrigible and even Darvin Ham cannot reach him but the reward is essentially the opportunity to trade for a lottery level talent who could be a long-time star for the team.

Trading for Christian Wood would give the Lakers positional size advantage in the front court while at the same time improving the teams floor spacing and 3-point shooting and unleashing even more paint and rim dominance.

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4. Secures Christian Wood’s Bird Rights

While it’s difficult to trade a fan favorite who was at the heart of the team making the conference finals after starting 2–10, securing Christian Wood’s Bird rights so they could keep him long term is worth Jarred Vanderbilt.

The Lakers’ front office and coaching staff have great confidence in their judgement and ability to transform talented young players who’ve struggled with other teams and help them rehabilitate their careers like Malik Monk. Trading for Christian Wood instead of signing him for the minimum as a free agent would give the Lakers his Bird rights, which would enable them to go over the cap to re-sign him and prevent losing him like Malik Monk.

Christian Wood is in many ways the perfect third big for the Lakers as he can play the four or five, has the ability to space the floor with his 3-point shooting, and can protect the rim with his 6′ 9″ height and 7′ 3″ wingspan. While trading for Christian Wood will cost Vando and bring risks due to previous behavior issues, the upside of being able to acquire a potential second level star player is too great an opportunity for the Lakers to pass.

If the Lakers believe they can transform Christian Wood into a valuable stretch four/five, then it makes sense to trade Jarred Vanderbilt for him so that L.A. has his Bird rights and can go over the cap to re-sign him.

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5. Opens Roster Spot for Biyombo

With the free agent signing of 6′ 8″ small forward Taurean Prince, the Los Angeles Lakers finally have a legitimate 3&D wing who can shoot over 40% from deep and defend the bigger wing scorers Vando would usually guard.

In addition to Prince, the Lakers also re-signed Rui Hachimura and signed Cam Reddish, both of whom they’re high on offensively and defensively. Trading Vanderbilt should eliminate a likely minutes jam up at the three. Trading for Wood helps balance the roster and opens up a roster spot for Bismack Biyombo, who would give the Lakers an experienced defensive center to expand and balance the team’s skill sets at the center position.

At 27-years old, the opportunity for the Lakers to trade Jarred Vanderbilt for a signed-and-traded Christian Wood is almost too good to be true. That it helps balance the roster and opens a roster spot for Bismack is a plus. Realistically, this is the kind of move the Lakers would have to wait until the trade deadline to pull off. It’s exactly the kind of low risk, sky-high value opportunity Rob Pelinka should take full and immediate advantage of.

Trading a one-dimensional small forward in Jarred Vanderbilt for a versatile modern center in Christian Wood would enable the Lakers to sign Bismack Biyombo as their third center while leaving one roster spot open.

The Lakers have surrounded superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis with an impressive collection of battle-tested young talent that can not only win now but also be part of building championship rosters for the future.

While the Lakers are bringing back all 5 starters and 2 of 5 main backups, they’re also relying on a new untested backups at point guard in Gabe Vincent, small forward in Taurean Prince, and center in Jaxson Hayes. Vincent should be an upgrade over Schroder and Prince finally means the Lakers will have a solid 3&D wing to back up LeBron. The gamble is Jaxson Hayes as the backup center. Can he just do what Lakers need him to do?

Additionally, the Lakers are counting on an untested 20-year old second year guard Max Christie to backup shooting guard. While the Lakers have a lot of upside to like in their backups, they also are vulnerable to wild cards. Wild cards are potentially game changing factors that could either propel or derail a season: supposed strengths that turn into weaknesses when stressed or vulnerabilities that get taken advantage of when exposed.

On paper, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a series of moves ‘on the margins’ to improve their roster size and depth. Whether that translates to the Lakers winning a championship will depend on these five wild cards.

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1. Health

When both of your two superstars have missed significant parts of the last three seasons due to injuries, health has to be the single most important wild card that could either propel or derail the Lakers’ 2023–24 season.

The Lakers took smart steps this offseason as insurance against LeBron James or Anthony Davis possibly suffering an injury by getting bigger, deeper, younger, and less reliant on their superstars carrying the load. Strategically, the Lakers hope a deep, diverse, and talented roster could prevent the team from having to overly rely on LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the point where they’re overplayed and, as a result, injured.

LeBron and the Lakers have always been reluctant to fully embrace load management as as strategic priority but the time has come for them to consider setting limits of 30 minutes per game on both James and Davis. That doesn’t mean you can’t break the rule to win a specific game or change it in the playoffs. It just means that you want to wean the team from over relying on their superstars and limit superstar minutes to prevent injuries.

Hopefully, embracing load management will be the wild card that enables the Lakers to keep LeBron James and Anthony Davis fresher and injury free during the long regular season and ready to thrive in the playoffs.

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2. Youth

The Lakers’ second biggest wild card is their heavy reliance on youth with 20-year old shooting guard Max Christie and 23-year old center Jaxson Hayes projected as Austin Reaves’ and Anthony Davis’ primary backups.

Those are two major rotation roles that will require leaps in the growth and development of young Max Christie and Jaxson Hayes. While only 20 years old, the Lakers are confident Christie is ready for a role in the rotation. While he’s only in his second year, Max’s game’s already taken a huge leap per his summer league play, showing why the Lakers are justified to have him penciled in the 10-man rotation with which they’ll start this season.

Hayes is a bigger question mark as he was unable to hold a rotation spot in New Orleans despite elite athleticism, talent, and size. Jax realizes this is a great opportunity for him but he will need to focus on protecting the rim. The Lakers believe Hayes could be their center of the future and envision him at some point starting alongside Anthony Davis as the team returns to the two bigs lineups that won the 2020 NBA championship in the bubble.

The Lakers are asking a lot of 20-year old Christy and 23-year old Hayes and will bring them along slowly as key pieces in the rotation. It would be a big wild card for the Lakers if the young Max and Jax can grow into their roles.

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3. Size

Size is another Lakers’ wild card. One of their goals this summer was to get bigger at every position: in the backcourt, on the wings, and even at center where they would like to return to the 2020 championship two-bigs model.

The Lakers added 6′ 11′ Hayes, 6′ 8″ Prince, 6′ 7″ Reddish, 6′ 7″ Lewis, 6′ 6″ Hood-Schifino, and 6′ 2″ Vincent to go with 6′ 10″ Davis, 6′ 9″ James, 6′ 8″ Vanderbilt, 6′ 8″ Hachimura, 6′ 6″ Russell, 6′ 5″ Reaves, and 6′ 5″ Christie. That’s a big lineup with 9 players with wingspans over 7′. What’s missing, though, are the quicker smaller guards like Dennis Schroder who can beat defenders off the dribble offensively but are a size liability defensively.

Strategically, the Lakers have been able to compensate for their negative 3-point differential by outscoring opponents in the paint and at the line despite their glaring lack of size in front and backcourt all season long.
By getting bigger and more athletic, the Lakers are hoping they’ll be able to build even bigger advantages in points-in-the-paint and made free throws. It’s their formula for how to win in the NBA without great 3-point shooting.

Size is a wild card that often gets trumped by speed and quickness. The Lakers are doubling down that getting bigger and longer will help them increase their advantages in points-in-the-paint and made free throws.

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4. Depth

There is no team in the NBA more starpower driven than the Los Angeles Lakers, where superstars and championships have become synonymous. Yet the Lakers opted to add depth rather than starpower this offseason.

For starpower driven teams like the Lakers, depth has usually been filled with over-the-hill veterans on minimum contracts looking for one last hurrah and an opportunity to win a championship ring before they retire. Rather than add a third star, the Lakers spent their limited cap space on adding depth in the form of young, big, long, and athletic players who can not only backup their starters but also grow and develop into starters.

When analysts look at what Rob Pelinka has done in rebuilding the Lakers on the fly, the most astonishing aspect of the accomplishment is how he has surrounded LeBron and AD with nothing but young athletic players. That’s why depth is a wild card that could come back to haunt the Lakers. They not only did not bring in a veteran scorer like Bogdanovic to close games. Instead they invested win-now resources in the future.

Part of the Lakers’ grand strategy is building a team that has a beating and thriving heart of talented young players with promising upsides that is continually replenished. The Lakers’ wild card is inexperienced depth.

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5. Continuity

The good news is the Lakers have finally put together a 13-player roster that is maybe one player away from being a championship caliber squad. The bad news is only 7 of the 13 players were from last season’s roster.

Frankly, the Lakers season-closing finish to make the playoffs much less the conference finals was miraculous and maybe unrepeatable when you consider how little time they had playing together to do what they did. That’s why continuity is still a major wild card with this team. On paper, the Lakers look like a much better and deeper team. They do have five starters and two of five primary backups returning so there’s hope they can gell.

Pelinka has now completed 80% of the job of transforming the Los Angeles Lakers from a lottery team to a championship contender. All that remains is adding a big to the current roster and trading for that last puzzle piece. What’s most astonishing about Pelinka’s makeover is what this deep and talented young roster means in terms of the franchise’s sustainability when LeBron James retires. Lakers are positioned to not miss a beat.

While the Lakers have finally committed to building a sustainable deep roster, their current lack of continuity is potentially the team’s greatest wild card. Hopefully, James and Davis leadership will be able to overcome that.

The first domino in the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason strategy has just fallen as they’ve declined their $16.5 million team option for Malik Beasley and waived Mo Bamba and his $11.3 million non-guaranteed contract.

Giving up $27.8 million in player contracts without getting anything in return would normally be malpractice but in this case it’s a calculated move to open up $16.9 million in cap exceptions to sign free agents we could not access.
While using the exceptions will hard cap Lakers at $172.3 million, it also allows them to use the $12.4 million NT MLE (non-taxpayer MLE) and the $4.5 million BAE (Bi-Annual Exception) to sign two or more free agents.

Those two exceptions gives the Lakers access to free agents over-the-cap teams like them never get. In this case, the Lakers goal is to use their $12.4 million NT MLE to sign coveted free agent Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown.
In a perfect world, the Los Angeles Lakers could end up signing Bruce Brown to be their starting small forward with the $12.4 million NT MLE and Mason Plumlee to be their backup center with the $4.5 million BAE.

It does not look good for the Milwaukee Bucks or Denver Nuggets to re-sign Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown. The Bucks will likely prioritize re-signing Middleton and won’t be able to match $20 million per year offer for Lopez. The Nuggets are in worse shape as they only have non-Bird rights so the best they can offer Bruce Brown is 20% raise in the form of $7.8 million per year contract, almost $5 million per year less than what Lakers can offer.

While it’s possible Brook Lopez and Bruce Brown will get offers greater than the $12.4 million NT MLE the Lakers can offer, it’s also possible they won’t and Los Angeles will be able to sign one of them with their NT MLE. Most pundits think Lopez is more likely than Brown to get offers greater than $12.4 million. The Rockets are rumored to be willing to offer the 35-year old Brook Lopez a multi-year contract starting at $20 million per year.

The other thing to consider is both Brook Lopez and Bruce Brown have recently won NBA championships and may not be satisfied to take more money from a team that doesn’t have a chance to be a legitimate contender. With Brown, there’s also the carrot of a starting job to offer. While Bruce is only 6′ 4″, he has a 6′ 9″ wingspan and has spent most of this time playing small forward and not shooting guard. He could start at the two or three.

Reports say the Lakers are “increasingly confident” they can sign Bruce Brown with their $12.4 million NT MLE although it’s been reported that Brown will meet with the Nuggets front office at the start of free agency. Who knows whether that means Brown is still considering taking $7.8 million per year to return to Denver or he’s just giving proper respect to the front office and team that gave him the opportunity to win a gold ring.

At any rate, the Los Angeles Lakers are doing exactly what they told you they were going to do. They’re bringing back their conference finals team and looking to upgrade with a free agent like Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown.

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Here’s a breakdown of projected salaries for hard capped Lakers