The NBA Finals are over, which is good news for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not that the purple-and-gold had a rooting interest in either the Knicks or the Spurs, of course, but the end of the Finals is a big day for the league these days–it means that teams can begin to negotiate with their own free-agent players. And on one is more on the clock in that regard across the league than the Lakers.
LA will have five rotation players hitting free agency immediately, starting with star forward LeBron James. The Lakers and James can immediately begin talking about a new contract that would keep him in LA and give both him and the team–and the league in general–some clarity on the situation.
Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard are free agents, too, and the Lakers would like to keep both–though it might be tough to work out a deal with those two without going through to the market and seeing what offers are in place. Jaxson Hayes would like to stay with the Lakers, but he, too, could get a bigger offer elsewhere that keeps the Lakers from bringing him back.
Free agency opens on June 30.
Maxi Kleber, the throw-in of the Luka Doncic deal, is probably gone as he walks into free agency having played just 43 games in his Lakers career. Kleber is 34, and there is talk he could return to play in Europe.
Lakers Could Have a Fight for Austin Reaves
Things get more complicated from there, because some of the Lakers most important free agents are not yet free agents. That includes Austin Reaves, who will opt out of his $14 million final year on his current contract and hit free agency. The Lakers very much would like to work out a deal with him before June 30 hits, but he could look to wait until the market opens.
The Athletic reported this week that the nets could step forward with a $179 million, four year offer for Reaves.
Two other Lakers, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, are potential free agents, but have player options, too. It’s not clear if they will choose to accept their option and stay or test the market. Ayton’s option is for $8.1 million, and Smart’s is for $5.4 million.
Neither is certain, but it would appear likely that both opt out.
Free Agency to Force Painful Decisions
The Lakers are heading into a critical summer. They do like their roster and were very encouraged by the way the team played as a group when it was all together and healthy–a rare stretch this season–in February and March. The Lakers had a run in which they won 16 of 18 games, and the front office believes that is indicative, with tweaks, of what the group can accomplish.
But it’s unlikely that everyone can return, with the payroll expected to blossom as the Lakers give out raises and bring back the players they like. L.A. has about $40 million in cap space, depending on options and cap holds.
“They have cap space and that’s a great position to be in,” one Western Conference executive said. “But they really like their group. They’re going to have to make a painful decision or two with that roster.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Lakers Set to Open Free-Agent Bidding on LeBron James, Austin Reaves appeared first on HEAVY.