LeBron James has agreed in principle to a new deal with the Lakers, getting the two-year, $104 million contract with a no-trade clause that many predicted.
That deal is not yet finalized: James could accept a million-dollar discount to get the team out of the second division. By Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPNAs things stand now, Los Angeles is just above that $190 million mark, which will make team building more challenging.
Here’s what comes next after the Lakers secure their most important player along with most of their spending power.
What’s next for the Lakers after the LeBron James deal?
DeMar DeRozan and other sign-and-trade deals are still possible but unlikely
The Lakers have a budget of roughly $12 million in the first round, which prevents them from adding any players via sign-and-trade deals. That doesn’t mean sign-and-trade deals are completely out of the question, but they are much harder to pull off.
If the Lakers wanted to make a trade, they would have to involve a team with cap space and shell out some money to make that happen. On Tuesday, I outlined a possible example of how that would work, using DeMar DeRozan. The trades would have to involve either the Pistons or the Jazz, because they are the only teams with cap space remaining.
Pulling off a complicated sign-and-trade deal involving three players presents many problems. The Lakers would have to pay a high price, so the players they propose would have to be worth it. They would have to send draft picks or young players to two different teams.
Concerns about the second apron
The Lakers are going to be hanging around the second line of the court. They should be able to get a little bit lower, By Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Being below that second layer helps somewhat with team construction. If the Lakers are left above that layer, they won’t be able to combine contracts in future trades, they won’t be able to send cash in a trade, they won’t be able to sign any players released during the regular season and their 2032 first-round pick won’t be available to be traded.
Those restrictions don’t exist for teams in the top spot, which the Lakers will likely fall into. But they’ll still face issues in that tax bracket. They can’t use any trade exceptions, can’t sign players who have been waived and make more than $12.8 million, and can’t do sign-and-trades unless they fall below the top spot later.
One benefit of staying under the second apron is that the Lakers will have their $5.2 million taxpayer mid-level exception open to add an additional player in free agency.
Free Agent Targets
The Lakers will likely have to fill out the rest of their roster with minimum contracts and by re-signing their own remaining free agents.
Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie are the two biggest decision points left for the team. Prince is rumored to be seeking a two-year deal worth $11 million. By Mike Scotto of HoopsHypeThe Dinwiddie market has been quiet.
There are a few players who could make sense for the Lakers. Veterans like Dario Saric and Gordon Hayward are still available. However, options are becoming increasingly scarce.
The window to improve the team through free agency is closing quickly. Trades are the most likely possibility. The team will have two future first-round picks and four second-rounders to try to find upgrades.
