Lakers Podcast: L.A. Set Up For Midseason Trade, Analyzing Salary Cap Situation Moving Forward

Trevor Lane
3 Min Read
Ethan Miller-Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers made a number of moves this summer, including signing the biggest free agent of them all, LeBron James. They also added Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley in free agency.

It’s a motley crew of free agents to add to the young core, but might there be method to the madness? The Lakers signed each of them to one-year contracts, which gives them an intriguing number of expiring deals to offer up at the trade deadline should a superstar hit the market, as our own Trevor Lane and Keith Smith of RealGM discuss on this episode of the LN Pod.

Even if a trade doesn’t materialize, the Lakers are in excellent position to land a max-level free agent on the market next summer.

With big names like Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, and more potentially available, the team will have plenty of options to improve.

Of course, the one hurdle that will need to be cleared in order to free up space is Luol Deng’s contract. He will make $18.8 million next season, but the Lakers will have some options in order to purge some or all of his salary from the books.

While it looks as though the most likely scenario would involve waiving Deng and stretching his contract, there has also been some talk about Deng potentially being done playing basketball. We discuss the cap ramifications if that were to happen.

On top of that, we discuss the Lakers’ center position, which they seem to be piecing together without spending the big bucks.

This is our 100th episode of the LN Pod so we have a ton to talk about, to listen just click the link above.

Medium Large is looking to add motivated individuals with big dreams and a big appetite for success to our LakersNation.com direct sales team based in Los Angeles or Orange County. If you love sports, know digital sales, and can throw your weight behind an aggressive commission based opportunity than we would love to talk to you. Please apply at: http://mediumlarge.la/?jobs=1576. If you meet our criteria we will be in touch!

Trevor Lane is a longtime NBA and Los Angeles Lakers fan who had the good fortune to grow up during the glory days of the Showtime Lakers, when Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the rest ruled the Great Western Forum. He has written about basketball, soccer, fantasy sports, MMA, and even pro wrestling over the course of his career, but the spectacle that is the Lakers is his true passion. He made the leap into podcasting for Lakers Nation and provides voice-over analysis for our YouTube channel. With a who's who of stars gracing the Lakers lineup over the years, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and many others, the Lakers always provide plenty to talk about. When he isn't writing or recording, Trevor can be found spending time with his wife and daughter or on the sidelines for one of the youth teams he coaches. Outside of the Lakers, Trevor is a supporter of the LA Galaxy, US Soccer, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Contact: trevor@mediumlargela.com
Exit mobile version