[Deveney] Increasingly, word is that the Lakers like a lot of the players they have on hand, and rather than making sweeping changes to the roster, could instead bring back a lot of last season’s players with just one midrange addition worth in the $20 million AAV range, likely for a big man.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers are projected to have roughly $50 million of salary cap space this summer, it will not be easy for them to improve their roster. Not only will they want to keep LeBron James, but they also have other players about to hit the market they will likely want to re-sign. On top of that, the Lakers will want to secure at least one upgrade via free agency or the trade market.
In addition to James, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes will be free agents at the end of this month, while Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton can decline their player options for next season to become free agents. It is a virtual certainty that Reaves will opt out, and he could reportedly command $40 million on his next contract.
It seems reasonable not to expect the team to make major changes this summer, especially when one considers that, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, it likes many of the players currently on its roster (h/t Lakers Daily).
“That means that the Lakers will have some choices to make,” Deveney wrote. “Increasingly, word is that the Lakers like a lot of the players they have on hand, and rather than making sweeping changes to the roster, could instead bring back a lot of last season’s players with just one midrange addition worth in the $20 million AAV range, likely for a big man.
“Making choices on getting rid of players who helped on the floor and in the locker room–Smart and Hachimura, perhaps–won’t be easy.”
One NBA executive said that as a result, the Lakers will have at least one difficult decision to make.
“They have cap space and that’s a great position to be in,” one Western Conference executive said. “But they really like their group. They’re going to have to make a painful decision or two with that roster.”
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-exec-lakers-painful-decision-120409456.html