How can the Lakers use their remaining $893,847 under the Hard Cap to fill out their Playoff Roster?
Before waiving Christian Wood and signing Alex Len, the Lakers were sitting about $1.6m under a hard cap for the season. The team is hard capped after executing an aggregated trade (Max Christie + Jalen Hood-Schifino for Maxi Kleber) as part of the Luka trade. According to Spotrac, the pro-rated veteran minimum contract Alex Len will sign with the Lakers for the remaining 31 games of this season will cost the Lakers $743,829 vs the salary cap or about $24k per game remaining. Spotrac also shows the lakers are now $893,847 under the second apron hard cap. If we divide that by $24k, that means the Lakers have a remaining budget to pay for approximately 37 games. So, how do the Lakers best put that money to use with their two-way players or free agents on the buyout market to best balance their roster?
Reality Check
In years past, some very talented players have become available to all playoff teams on the buyout market.
- In 2012, the Charlotte Bobcats waived their $9m player Boris Diaw. He went on to play a critical role for the Spurs that post season, helping them get to the Western Conference Finals that summer and to a championship in 2014.
- In 2020, the Detroit Pistons waived their $17m player Reggie Jackson. He went on to play a large role for the Clippers in the playoff bubble. Even better, he helped them get to the Western Conference Finals the following year.
- In 2020, the Detroit Pistons waived Markieff Morris. He went on to play a key reserve role for the Lakers as a small ball center on the way to a championship.
- In 2023, the Cleveland Cavaliers negotiated a buyout with their $27m player Kevin Love. He went on to play a critical reserve role with the Miami Heat, helping them get to the Finals that season.
The issue with this season is the new dual Apron system of the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement is now in effect. This new agreement makes it very difficult for veteran ring chasers to push their way off a bad team in their final contract year and onto a playoff bound team. That's because teams over the first apron:
- Boston
- Denver
- LA Lakers
- Milwaukee
- Minnesota
- New York
- Phoenix
are unable to sign any player off the buyout market who made over the Mid-Level Exception ($12.8m) prior to their buyout. This takes players who in previous years might actively seek a buyout (Lonzo Ball, Bruce Brown, Malcom Brogdon, D'Angelo Russell, etc.) off the market entirely. They have no way to negotiate their way to the top teams. They would have to settle to go to one of the lesser playoff teams who are below the first apron (Ben Simmons and the LA Clippers say hi). So, where does that leave the Lakers? They can fantasize about productive players making just under $12.8m negotiating a buyout:
- Larry Nance Jr. - $11.2m
- Chris Boucher - $10.8m
OR they can accept reality and look at players who actually are on the buyout market:
- Alex Len
- Mo Bamba
- Daniel Theis
- Bones Hyland
- Lonnie Walker (can negotiate an out with his team)
- Jaden Springer
I believe the Lakers filled their greatest positional need with Alex Len. Looking at the other candidates available, I would personally opt for the Lakers to look within rather than without. They currently have three Two-Way players under contract:
- Jordan Goodwin - 1 year contract
- Christian Koloko - 1 year contract
- Trey Jemison - 2 year contract
Trey Jemison is both the most raw of the three players and the only one who is under a Two-Way deal for next season. His greatest asset is his strength. At 6'11" and 270lbs, he won't be easily moved off his spot. Unfortunately, the Lakers have filled the need for a big body with their acquisition of Alex Len. In the 6 games he's played so far for the Lakers, Trey only really made a positive impact once - vs the lowly Washington Wizards. I believe Trey would be best served developing for another season with the South Bay Lakers.
Jordan Goodwin stands only 6'3" (or 6'5" if you believe NBA.com) but managed to grab 8 rebounds in 21 minutes vs the Jazz. What the heck? When you dig a little deeper in to his measurements, you'll see the reason why: his 6'10" wingspan! While Goodwin is very much a work in progress on offense, his defense at the point of attack is tried and true. In fact, coach JJ Redick stated the Lakers had planned to offer Jordan a Two-Way contract in the pre-season but he unfortunately got inured. JJ praised Jordan after the game:
"I think it’s been seamless for Jordan, and he knows what we’re trying to do. And frankly, he’s like kind of the kind of the prototypical guy that we want in one of those spots, because he plays hard, he crashes the offensive glass. He has a toughness about him. He has a team-first attitude, you know, I just think it speaks volumes to the type of person that he is, that he was prepared, and is willing to go to battle with these guys. There was a play in the first half. It was one on four on our offensive end, and he tipped out, created an offensive rebound. We got another, shot that it was one on three, he ended up getting the basketball and scored. Then he’s ripping his mask off and throwing it on the sideline twice. He’s a banshee, he’s a banshee, that’s why we like him."
I personally was looking at Bones Hyland as a backup point of attack defender, but why not just promote the guy who's already in their system and exceeds Bruce Brown in terms of physical measurements? (Brown has a 6'9" wingspan himself). JJ calling Goodwin a banshee? Okay, I'm sold!
Christian Koloko would have an NBA contract today if not for the health scare that forced him to sit out a full season. Since the NBA cleared him to play, the former Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year has showcased a Swiss Army Knife of skills with both the South Bay Lakers and the senior squad. He can finish lobs, he can rebound, he can block shots, and he has the potential to extend his shooting range to the 3 point line. All he needs to succeed in the NBA is his health and an opportunity. I can't think of a better player currently available to fill out the Lakers playoff roster.
So, who do they cut to make room for Goodwin and Koloko? There are three obvious candidates on expiring contracts:
- Cam Reddish
- Shake Milton (has 2 more years under contract but money is non-guaranteed)
- Markieff Morris
I personally have seen enough of both Cam & Shake. In the season and a half we've had with Cam, he's shown flashes the talent that made him the 3rd ranked player in his high school recruiting class. Ironically, the Atlanta Hawks coveted Cam's talent so much that they traded the draft pick that became Luka Doncic for the opportunity to get Trae Young + Cam Reddish (drafted 10th the following year) instead. Reddish will have one game where he helps the team win followed by four games where he will contribute absolutely nothing. Enough. Shake had a 7-game spurt a few years back for the 76ers where both James Harden and Joel Embiid were out with injuries and he basically carried the team to a 5-2 record. I had hoped to see flashes of that player. Instead, we see someone looking to call his own number rather than make an easy pass, poor shooting form, weak handle and who is already behind Jordan Goodwin on the depth chart. I've seen enough.
What are the mechanics of promoting Goodwin and Koloko?
The Lakers pride themselves in being a "players team." Dr. Buss sold Magic Johnson a partial ownership of the team. Jimmy Buss tried follow in his father's footsteps and give some ownership to Kobe, only to find out that was against the CBA rules of the day. Jeanie Buss laid out the red carpet for LeBron, trading most of the team and picks to acquire Anthony Davis, trading more of the team to acquire Russel Westbrook, drafting Bronny James and giving him a 4 year deal despite his limited performance at USC. The Buss family does not want to be seen as a franchise that screws over players. So, they shouldn't screw over Cam Reddish and Shake Milton. So:
- Step 1: waive Cam Reddish & Shake Milton on February 28th.
This allows them to enter the buyout market as free agents and be playoff eligible. The CBA mandates that teams carry at least 14 players on their roster but allows them to go down to 12-13 players for up to 28 days for the season, but for no more than 2 weeks at a time.
- Step 2: Convert Jordan Goodwin to an NBA Contract on March 14th.
Converting Goodwin after 2 weeks gets the Lakers back to a 14-man roster. Hopefully he'll agree to a multi-year non-guaranteed contract (like Shake Milton's). This gives the Lakers optionality for next season if he performs well or poorly going forward. Signing Goodwin on March 14th means paying him the vet minimum for 18 games. This would leave us with a budget of 19 games remaining.
- Step 3: Convert Christian Koloko to an NBA contract on April 13th.
This gives Christian 1 game check at the vet minimum. If some miracle happens and a fantasy player ends up available on the buyout market (ie Larry Nance Jr. or Chris Boucher) the Lakers would still have a budget of 18 games remaining. They could pick up one of those players as early as March 14th and they would be playoff eligible as long as they are bought out by March 1st. The Lakers could still waive Markieff Morris and convert Christian Koloko on the final day of the season, but maintaining the reputation of being a "players team" will probably matter more to the Buss family than a marginal roster improvement on the last day of the season.
Anticipated playoff roster:
- Austin Reaves/Gabe Vincent/Jordan Goodwin/Bronny James
- Luka Doncic/Jared Vanderbilt/Dalton Knecht
- Rui Hachimura/Dorian Finney Smith
- LeBron James/Maxi Kleber/Markieff Morris
- Jaxson Hayes/Alex Len/Christian Koloko
Thoughts?