via @YouTube https://t.co/Qv6tqhHlaZ

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 30, 2024

Carter barely generates 1 stock per game and only makes $11.9M. Kessler is better option. If Magic sign Hartenstein, Lakers should go after Isaac, who makes $17.4M not guaranteed. He's the better rim protector, space defender, and 3-point shot. Trade DLO straight up for Isaac. https://t.co/m0x62kdgQR pic.twitter.com/k8BgUgioz2

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 30, 2024

LAKERS-BLAZERS TRADE

4 Lakers -> 2 Blazers
Grant missing 3&D wing
LeBron can play 4
Williams b/u center
Spots for Dinwiddie & Prince

PG: Russell, Dinwiddie, James Jr
SG: Reaves, Knecht, Reddish
SF: Grant, Christie, Lewis
PF: James Sr, Prince, Wood
CE: Davis, Williams, Hayes pic.twitter.com/ks7XeNK7yc

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 30, 2024

With the news that Christian Wood and Jaxon Hayes are opting in on very cheap/cap friendly deals I think we need to look almost exclusively at wings and big, mobile guards under 87 years old. That takes Klay and CP3 out of the mix. With the Lakers extending Castleton the 2 way QO it shows they intend to keep him unless another team actually offers him a contract (and maybe even they choose to match it). At the very least it looks like they did the young man a solid by guaranteeing him a raise if someone else wants him.

AD, Jax and Wood, LeBron and Vando are enough big bodies. Between the 4 there’s enough good, shooting and skill to compete in the regular season. If we have the ponies for LM from Utah or KO from Toronto I’d be cool with that, I’d also be cool trading one if Wood or Jax along with Rui to Chicago for Vucevic.

But then we have to use the MLE, should it be available, on a wing. Kinda doubt Tobias Harris will come for the full MLE but we could slot DeMar DeRozan at the 3 (doubt he’d be happy coming off the bench, at least to start the season but who knows…insert wish for a coach who has done this before and understands how to talk to vets properly…) but that still trends toward old and under-sized. Grant looks too pricey given his impact in winning but there’s an argument that it’s his situation and not specifically him. Still, not sure we have the ponies for that race.

So here’s a list, in no particular order, of wings under 35 who can contribute on both ends that could be had for the MLE (IMO):
-Precious Achiuwa
-Tobias Harris (this one is a stretch in logic honestly)
-Kelly Oubre (personal top choice)
-Saddiq Bay
-Naji Marshall (could challenge for a starting spot honestly)

Staying away from the Covington’s and Hayward’s as my hope is we get younger and not older and that we focus as much in defense as much as shooting.

The Los Angeles Lakers tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Colin Castleton, a league source told @spotrac.

He's now a restricted free agent.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2024

Here are my Pre-Free NBA Free Agency cap space and spending tier projections.

🏀Orlando Magic up to $50 million in cap space.

🏀3 of the 7 cap space teams can offer the highest tier max salary.

🏀14 teams operating below the first apron

🏀3 teams over the first apron and 6… pic.twitter.com/c0zCUNNc7O

— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 30, 2024

Per @mcten

LeBron James will take a pay cut for the following players

– James Harden
– Klay Thomson
– Jonas Valanciunas pic.twitter.com/TmofpbV3Nw

— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) June 29, 2024

LAKERS SHOULD TRADE FOR MARCUS SMART!

1. He's point guard who could replace DLO.
2. He's POA defender who could play w/DLO.
3. He's volume 3-point shooter JJ needs.
4. He's additional elite playmaker JJ needs.
5. He's player for whom LeBron will take less.
6. Add swap if needed. pic.twitter.com/aXBLAtGwT1

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 29, 2024

With two new rookies and D’Angelo Russell and Jaxson Hayes back in the fold, the Lakers roster/payroll continues to bloat ahead of free agency

For @LakersSBN I detailed why the team must quickly address their roster crunch and why trades are likely cominghttps://t.co/6iRPSgVs1A

— Alex Regla (@AlexmRegla) June 29, 2024

With JJ Redick hired, the NBA Draft now in the rearview and Dalton Knecht and Bronny James officially the newest members of the Lakers, the team enters what should be an eventual free-agency period with plenty of questions still lingering.

There is no sugarcoating the fact that the Lakers need to improve their team this offseason. But before they do so, they must first address what is quickly becoming a bloated roster.

As of this article, Los Angeles already has 12 guaranteed contracts on their books after drafting their two new rookies and after D’Angelo Russell and Jaxson Hayes exercised their player options Friday night. On the surface, this does not present an inherent issue. However, that number can climb even further if Cam Reddish and LeBron James also decide to return.

In the scenario where all four remain Lakers — which is trending that way — the Lakers may find themselves heading into free agency with 14 roster spots already filled. As a reminder, under the new collective bargaining agreement, the maximum number of players a team can carry is 15 with an additional three two-way roster spots available.

If working off this same exercise, the team must also consider how this impacts their ability to retain their free agents this summer, including Max Christie, Taurean Prince, and Spencer Dinwiddie.

While it is probably safe to assume not all three would return, the Lakers certainly would hopefully want to hold onto Christie for the foreseeable future. And although Prince had his detractors, he was a serviceable rotation piece who has already expressed a desire to remain a Laker and could look even better in a streamlined role within Redick’s spaced-out offense.

This is all housekeeping that must occur before even considering external signings, which, as laid out here, could prove extremely difficult.

Another issue for the Lakers beyond lacking roster space is the sheer number of players they carry who are either too young to contribute next season or are unreliable. Between their new rookies and the likes of Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, that’s four players who likely should not be counted on for big minutes. Once you add a combination of Christian Wood, Reddish and Hayes to the equation, that’s nearly half of the depth chart with legitimate question marks.

Because of their overstuffed and flawed roster, one can expect the Lakers to make a consolidation trade — if not several — in the upcoming days. Fortunately, the team still has the resources to do so.

Even after drafting James on Thursday, the Lakers possess five 2nd-rounders they can utilize to improve the roster and/or free up space. And given their current predicament, they should.

Whether it’s a 2-for-1 deal or simply incentivizing another front office to take on an unwanted contract, the team must first handle the logistics of their roster before they can improve it.

Throughout this process, the Lakers must also be mindful of their financial standing under the aforementioned new CBA. They will assuringly operate as an over-the-cap team that exceeds the first apron this summer. Still, they should attempt to steer far clear from entering the dangerous second apron (projected at $189.5 million). For context, they will sit roughly around $183 million if the scenario written about in this article transpires.

With only hours before the Lakers have more clarity on their roster outlook and free agency gets underway, they still need to handle plenty of in-house business. As much as fans want to see them be active in bolstering the team, important steps first need to be taken.

Cam Reddish has opted into his $2.46 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for next season, a league source told ESPN. Reddish, 24, was a bright spot early on in the season for L.A. before battling injuries that limited him to 48 games and sidelined him for the playoffs

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 29, 2024

Here is Lakers’ current 15-man roster:

PG: Russell, Vincent, Hood-Schifino
SG: Reaves, Knecht, James Jr, Reddish
SF: James Sr, Christie, Lewis
PF: Hachimura, Vanderbilt
CE: Davis, Hayes, Wood

LeBron may be willing to take a pay cut to give the Lakers access to the mid-level exception. I have 10 possible targets they could use it on:

– Four possible trades.
– Three 3-and-Ds.
– Two aging stars.
– And a Jonas in a pear tree.https://t.co/XlKL6ieVcb

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 29, 2024

1. Jonas Valanciunas
2. DeMar DeRozan
3. Klay Thompson
4. De’Anthony Melton
5. Gary Harris
6. Caleb Martin

Trades

The new CBA tweaked the rules regarding the mid-level exception slightly. In the past, it could only be used to sign free agents. Now, however, it can be used to absorb salaries in trades. It cannot be aggregated, so it’s not as though the Lakers could combine it with another salary to get an expensive player, but they can use it to bring in a player making anything up to that projected $12.859 million figure. Many of these players would require the Lakers to send draft picks back, but here is a list of players below that salary line who would make sense for them:

Wendell Carter Jr.
Robert Williams III
Larry Nance Jr.
Gary Payton II
Walker Kessler

Here's Lakers current depth chart.

PG: Russell, Vincent, Hood-Schifino
SG: Reaves, Knecht, James Jr, Reddish
SF: James Sr, Christie, Lewis
PF: Hachimura, Vanderbilt
CE: Davis, Hayes, Wood

Who would you sign for NT MLE if LeBron James were to take less to open up that option?

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 29, 2024

The Lakers should be trying to get Isaac. He is star player on great contracts that could be superstars with a bigger role on a better team.

Isaac is a modern stretch big who can defend all five positions at all three levels. He is a mini Anthony Davis clone. S/B priority. pic.twitter.com/NYrBTKGcE6

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 29, 2024