**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins



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There's a couple problems currently

Lakers roster & salary crunch

1. Lakers are already at 14 roster spots, even before Cam Reddish's option. They have to clear a roster spot even to do anything, or be stuck with only able to take back 1 for 1 in trades. Potentially need to clear 2 spots if Cam opts in. They can't just cut anyone because they need every dollar available.
Expect Cam & Max Lewis to be moved with a 2nd attached or something like that to open up $3-4mil extra. Which would allow the $5mil TPMLE & Max re-signing at around $6mil.

2. Currently, they are around $5mil from the second apron, not including Cam and Max at $6mil. They don't have the ability to use the TPMLE unless they could clear Cam & Max Lewis. They also cannot take even $1 more back in trades.

I expect them to try to manuver to get the TPMLE.

Here's where staking salaries isn't completely reliable unless they stack and open up a big chunk because they are hard capped by the TPMLE

I'll run a scenario:
-Lakers send Max Lewis & Cam to Yugoslavia with a 2nd attached. That drops them to $182.4mil with 1 open roster spot to fill. This is where you use your $5mil (and unfortunately, you have to go Center based on what they have right now, other moves could dictate going the opposite way)
- Now let's say they want to get to Cam Johnson's salary, but do not want to include Gabe Vincent.
So DLo, JHS, Hayes and a 1st for Cam Johnson

That saves them $1.4mil, but now their roster spots are at 11. The salaries are at $186.4mil
What does that mean?
They couldn't even put 3 minimums together to stay under the hard cap. They'd have to move one of Rui, Gabe or Vando in a separate trade and open up a couple million, but would be stuck with 3, undrafted rookies at minimum


If you were to do
DLo & Gabe for Cam Johnson, and Cam Johnson alone. You then have enough space to then sign a full 10+ year vet minimum. But that would be about the extent of the moves, unless they trade out Vando or Rui for something else, and I doubt they will have that much deviation from continuity.

If you go from $11-30mil of guards & forwards (who are available, available is the key word here)...
Brogdan, Sexton, Cam Johnson are the only 3 that provide anything remotely close to acceptable for DLo while also staying under the 2nd apron because they'll want to use it to open up their available talent pool.



Where I would go with this?
-Cam & Max Lewis out for nothing.
-Gabe & JHS + a 1st for Wendell Carter Jr.
-Use the TPMLE either on someone like Lonnie Walker. or Taurean Prince. No thanks to CP3, enough distractions already on the team than to have people calling for CP3 to start whether DLo was the starting PG, or if he's shipped out and they have AR as the starting PG.

DLo / Max C. / Vando / Bron / AD
AR / Lonnie / Knecht / Rui / Wendell Carter Jr.
Bronny / Wood / Hayes
Josh Okogie to round out the roster?
 
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Wonder if Max and Pelinka have been negotiating on a new contract in good faith. Or if Pelinka has/is going to play hardball with Max since he's a restricted free agent and can squeeze him.
 
But let me guess, if Rob doesn't close the deal he's still going to get criticism despite things being completely out of his control.

 
D.lo doesn't stink.

He is just super inconsistent and his playoff performances have been terrible.
His attitude stinks

His effort defensively stinks

His shot selection stinks

His lack of athleticism for a guard stinks

When I say stinks, I don’t mean like he’s a garbage player but more like when I look at how I would want the game to be played he doesn’t check a lot of those boxes.
 
Lol so much for leverage. I thought grittyman grittyman was just a hater but damn..nobody wants this fool. He's fine in the regular season. Sucks they didn't get Dejounte because he's a guy that can go toe to toe with players like Fox, Murray, Ja etc and he kills the Celtics too. D'lo/Reaves backcourt will never win anything so I'm hoping there's a trade lined up
 
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