I had not seen this yet, too good.
Oh man…
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March 2, 2021 2 Comments
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By March 2, 2021 2 Comments
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Rumor has it some NBA execs think he could get the MLE from some teams. Might be more than he’s technically worth but it also wouldn’t surprise me if the Lakers went about that high to retain him. THT is rumored to be a backloaded (i.e. poison pill) contract candidate this offseason. That actually feels risky, a team would have to believe in his ability to both grow his game and rise to a greater level of responsibility fairly quickly. The fun never stops!
I don’t think Alex will get offers for $10M per year from anybody including the Lakers. In many ways, his value is more on the Lakers than other teams and it’s hard to get big money when your strength is your defense instead of offense.
I’ve actually come to the conclusion that the Lakers are more likely to trade THT than Caruso for several reasons.
First, we’re in a win now mode and Alex is more ready to make the kind of contributions we need right now than Talen. While Talen has great upside, it’s likely still a two or three years away. Right now, that’s like the far future for a LeBron team.
Second, Alex will be cheaper to keep than Talen, who will get the MLE as the minimum next season. The problem is not the money itself, it’s the 2 to 3 times tax that each dollar in salary is going to cost next season. An MLE player may cost the Lakers $25M to $30M with tax.
Third, Talen will likely be viewed as a the equivalent of a lottery pick in the draft and he may be what we need to make a key deall this midseason or next summer. I actually think there’s a good chance he will be trade this winter.