Complete 2018 NBA Free Agency primer for OKC Thunder and all 30 teams
LA Lakers:
Free Agents:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (UFA)
- Channing Frye (UFA)
- Andre Ingram (RFA)
- Brook Lopez (UFA)
- Julius Randle (RFA)
- Isaiah Thomas (UFA)
- Travis Wear (RFA)
- Gary Payton Jr (RFA 2-way FA)
Team Profile and Ranking:
Key Ranking Stats to end season:
- Offense: 23rd (104.2)
- Defense: 13th (105.8)
- Net: 21st (minus -1.6 )
NBA Power Ranking at 2017-18 season end: 20th
ESPN Power Ranking post playoffs: 13th
Vegas odds to win 2018-19 title as of June 26: 5 to 1
Committed Salary: $39,143,365.00 as of June 29th
Average attendance: 18,934
Attendance rank: 10th
Arena: STAPLES Center
Management:
General Manager: Rob Pelinka – 2017
Head Coach: Luke Walton – 2016
The $1.5M Tyler Ennis contract would have been guaranteed had the guard been on the roster past July 5. The Lakers now must decide by June 30 on the $1.5M contract of Ivica Zubac and by July 5 (8PM ET) for the $1.4M Thomas Bryant salary.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 29, 2018
Salary Profile:
It seems Magic and Co. are amping up their efforts to facilitate a Kawhi trade to LA. Yet with news Friday, LeBron opted out of his contract it makes it extremely difficult for teams other than the Lakers, 76ers or Cavaliers to outright sign LeBron. In essence, the King has narrowed the playing field. At least in terms of where teams stand entering the moratorium.
Still the Lakers won’t stop with their efforts to lure a star in order to sweeten the pot for LeBron. LA is keeping all their options open and to that end released Tyler Ennis.
Also of note, the Lakers have two non-guaranteed contracts in Ivica Zubac ($1,544,951) and Thomas Bryant ($1,378,242) which they can still utilize to create more flexibility.
The Lakers have the capacity to add two big-name stars and several exceptions with non-tax midlevel ($8.6M), bi-annual ($3.4) and a trade exception ($1.6M).
| Sala | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Age | 2018-19 | Signed Using | Guaranteed |
| Luol Deng | 33 | $18,000,000 | Cap Space | $54,000,000 |
| Lonzo Ball | 20 | $7,461,960 | 1st Round Pick | $13,748,520 |
| Brandon Ingram | 20 | $5,757,120 | 1st Round pick | $11,276,520 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 22 | $1,689,840 | 1st Round Pick | $3,113,400 |
| Josh Hart | 23 | $1,655,160 | 1st Round Pick | $3,049,680 |
| Ivica Zubac | 21 | $1,544,951 | Cap Space | $1,312,611 |
| Thomas Bryant | 20 | $1,378,242 | Minimum Salary | $815,615 |
| Team Totals | $39,143,365 | $154,835,890 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/29/2018.
Draft 2018:
Round 1:
With the 25th pick, the Lakers (from Cavs via Blazers) selected Michigan State forward/center Moe Wagner
Rookie Profile: Mortiz Wager checks boxes of OKC Thunder frontcourt needs
Round 2:
With the 39th pick, the Lakers (from Knicks via Sixers) selected German forward Isaac Bonga.
Rookie Profile: Isaac Bonga needs more time to develop
With the 47th pick, the Lakers (from Nuggets via Jazz, Bulls) selected Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.
Rookie Profile: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is set to be a sharp shooting sixth man
Free Agency – Offseason Mandate:
One of the only teams who can offer not one, but two max contracts. With Magic Johnson back in the fold the Lakers are expected to make big plays for all the big-name stars available with LeBron James and Paul George at the top of their list.
Although it’s felt like Kawhi is on this list let’s not forget he’s not a free agent until next summer, so unless the Spurs want to play ball they may have to wait another year to land the Claw.
The torn meniscus Lonzo Ball reportedly has is not a new injury, which makes the timing of the injury coming to light all the more interesting.https://t.co/wdTYmquXII pic.twitter.com/fvuAxdxOlR
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) June 30, 2018
Arguably the big news out of Lakers nation on Friday was learning Lonzo Ball had a torn meniscus. More accurately, did the Lakers purposely keep this news on the down-low until LeBron opted in? Or has Lonzo’s camp leaked it in order to turn off Lonzo being moved as part of a trade package?
What we do know is Magic must have received a commitment from some star to state he’ll quit if he doesn’t bring a star to the Lakers within the next two seasons. The question is whether it will be this season or next.
Given the LeBron dynamics, it’s hard to say what or who the Lakers need because everything will revolve around Decision 3.0. At this point, it seems likely LeBron is bringing his talents to La La land.