The Los Angeles Lakers will not have much time to celebrate their championship as the NBA and NBPA officially announced they have come to an agreement in principle on the 2020-21 season, which will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The two sides also agreed on playing a shortened 72-game schedule, which will be announced in the near future.
Perhaps the most important part of the agreement though is that NBA free agency is just around the corner as it will begin Friday, Nov. 20. Negotiations can start at 3 p.m. PT, with signings becoming official just a couple of days later on Nov. 22 at 9:01 a.m. PT.
Considering this offseason is as short as it is, things will be fast-moving as free agency begins just two days after the NBA Draft, which is set for Nov. 18.
Although the Lakers are coming off a championship, this could be a busy offseason for them as they have a number of free agents to re-sign in addition to some money to spend on the open market. The NBA salary cap is expected to be $109.140 million with the Tax Level at $132.627 million.
The No. 1 priority for the Lakers will be re-signing Anthony Davis, who has reportedly already made it clear he will remain with the team after going through the process of declining his player option.
After Davis, some of the other free agents on the roster include key contributors like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris.
The Lakers have also been linked to some big names on the trade market if they are looking to make a deal to pair Davis and LeBron James with a third All-Star caliber play, so Rob Pelinka certainly has a lot of decisions to make and not a lot of time to make them.
Kuzma hoping for significant contract extension
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is not among the team’s free agents this offseason, but he does only have one year left on his rookie deal and is eligible to sign a contract extension.
Whether the Lakers want to do that or not remains to be seen, but Kuzma is reportedly seeking a ‘sizable’ extension after winning his first championship, so that is yet another tough decision L.A. will have to make in the coming weeks.
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