The past couple of seasons have not been kind to the Los Angeles Lakers front office as it’s come under fire for a number of moves it’s made.
The most egregious error came when the Lakers decided to make a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook that backfired tremendously. Other than the Westbrook debacle, Los Angeles also struggled to nail marginal moves. For example, the Lakers made the same mistake twice by not preserving some of their mid-level exception to sign Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves to three-year deals.
However, Rob Pelinka and company have turned things around as they made several great trades at the trade deadline to revamp the roster and give the purple and gold a legitimate shot in the playoffs.
Los Angeles also did well to prepare for the postseason as they waived Davon Reed to sign Tristan Thompson and Shaquille Harrison to rest-of-season contracts to give the team some added depth. In regards to Harrison, the front office gave themselves some more flexibility by adding a second, non-guaranteed year to his deal, via Bobby Marks of ESPN:
The Lakers wisely added a second year to the Shaq Harrison rest of the season contract.
The $2.4M salary is non-guaranteed and gives Los Angeles a trade asset (if partially protected) in the offseason and also a veteran that can compete for a roster spot next year.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 10, 2023
It’s good work from the front office as Harrison could very well earn a roster spot outright next season, or become filler salary should the Lakers pursue upgrades in the trade market. Los Angeles has team options on players like Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba so if the right deal comes along and they need salaries to match then this gives them more options.
Harrison likely won’t make much of an impact with Los Angeles, but the organization has done well to set themselves up for the immediate future. It’ll be interesting to see what becomes of Harrison and his salary, but L.A. finally looks competent when it comes to the fringes of team building.
Kyle Kuzma believes Lakers can make NBA Finals
Harrison landed with the Lakers at the right time as the squad is peaking when the games matter the most. Although they are the No. 7 seed, Los Angeles shouldn’t be taken lightly as they’re as dangerous as any other team.
In fact, players aren’t scoffing at the Lakers’ chances. For example, Kyle Kuzma believes his former team can make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
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