When the Lakers fired Mike Brown five games into the season they were still left having to bite an enormous financial bullet. By dismissing him before his contract was up, the team was still on the hook for somewhere between $6-7 million. However, with the news that Brown has been re-hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers to be their head coach, the Lakers will get some minor relief due to a clause in Brown’s contract.
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According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, the Lakers will get a bit of a break, but won’t be able to get Brown’s deal off the books completely.
The Lakers will receive “some relief” from the $6 million to $7 million they owe Brown over the next two years after firing him five games into this season, according to a source familiar with the situation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The source indicated both sides will know how much the Lakers will save once Brown’s contract with Cleveland is finalized.
How much relief the Lakers are given depends on how much Brown will get paid his first two seasons in Cleveland. Obviously until those numbers are finalized they won’t know for sure, but it will be nice for the Lakers to get out from under his contract, albeit slightly.
After dismissing Brown the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni, signing him to a four-year deal, of which they still owe him $8 million guaranteed over the next two seasons with an option for the final season. Some fans are asking whether or not getting Brown (slightly) off their books means they’re more likely to let D’Antoni go as well. For now it’s far too soon to tell, especially with Mitch Kupchak already stating that D’Antoni will be back next season.
It’s obvious some fans are still holding out hope the team will dismiss D’Antoni and bring back Phil Jackson, who has reportedly been interested in getting back into the business. But for now the team has publicly declared their support of D’Antoni.
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