LeBron James took a $2.7 million discount to help the Lakers stay under the dreaded second apron.
On what it means and a couple of names to watch for if LA can clear enough space in a salary-dumping trade to use their taxpayer mid-level exception: https://t.co/dU0AhBEZhu
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) July 7, 2024
James’ new contract puts the Lakers at just under the $188.9 million second apron. If the Lakers can salary dump a couple of their veteran minimum contracts — attaching a second-round pick to entice a trade partner — they’d create two roster spots and the flexibility to use the $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception. The Lakers have preferred to enter previous seasons with only 14 players on their roster for flexibility in trades and on the buyout market.
Gary Trent Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie are two names to watch for if the Lakers clear enough space to use their taxpayer midlevel exception, according to league sources.
Had the Lakers become a second-apron team, they would’ve suffered several harsh restrictions regarding how they’d be able to build their roster for the rest of this offseason. For example, teams above the second apron cannot trade first-round picks seven years in the future, cannot trade cash in a deal, lose their midlevel exception, are limited to 100 percent salary-matching in trades and cannot combine multiple players in a deal, among several other restrictions.
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