The Los Angeles Lakers have been tied down by their overall team bankroll since they made moves for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and especially Russell Westbrook. The three are due well over $115 million combined in the 2022-23 NBA season.
This has been a gift and a curse for the Lakers. They ultimately won a championship by spending money and making moves to bring in Anthony Davis. However, this offseason the Lakers had little to no spending money due to Westbrook being owed over $47 million. With this being the last year he’s on the books, the Lakers should have plenty of cap space going into the next 2-3 seasons. Many players become free agents after this season besides some of the younger players, James and Davis.
1. Russell Westbrook – $47,063,478
2. LeBron James – $44,474,988
3. Anthony Davis – $37,980,720
4. Patrick Beverly – $13,000,000
5. Lonnie Walker IV – $6,479,000
6. Kendrick Nunn – $5,250,000
7. Damian Jones – $2,298,000
8. Juan Toscano-Anderson – $2,133,278
9. Troy Brown – $1,968,175
10. Thomas Bryant – $1,968,175
11. Wenyen Gabriel – $1,878,720
12. Jay Huff – $1,637,966
13. Austin Reaves – $1,563,518
14. Max Christie – $1,017,781
15. Javante McCoy – $1,017,781
16. Fabian White – $1,017,781
17. Cole Swider – $508,891
18. Scottie Pippen Jr. – $508,891
Team Total – $171,767,528
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team a lot like the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. They have spent the last few seasons using money to form and structure their roster in a championship way, and in 2020 it turned into a championship for the Lakers but the lack of priority towards their draft picks has caught up to them.
Their most valuable draft picks they currently have are first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, which GM Rob Pelinka is hesitant to move, and one of those picks would more than likely have to be involved in any trade for a team that wants to take on Russell Westbrook’s contract this season.
The Rookies
The Lakers have many rookies this year who set the scene during the Summer League that could very well receive a serious chance during the season to earn minutes. Guys like Swider, Christie (selected in the 2nd round), and Pippen Jr. could be valuable pieces off the bench as the season progresses.
Los Angeles needs fresh legs that can emerge. Especially, once LeBron decides he wants to move on. We don’t know when that will be after he just signed a 2-year extension, but the day will come, and the Lakers having some young guys to fall back on will be crucial.
What The Lakers Salary Cap Could Look Like Next Year?
With Russell Westbrook off the books, the Lakers will be able to open up a ton of space to work with. Kendrick Nunn, Wenyen Gabriel, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Troy Brown Jr, Damian Jones, and Lonnie Walker will all hit the free agent market as well. The Lakers could be looking at well over $60 million to spend in cap space, and that could generate into a much more fitting superstar to gel with LeBron and Davis. Or they could use the money to build the overall foundation of the roster by adding key positions and needs.
The Lakers have lacked defense since the 2020 team, and the moves they made this offseason are what they hope can fill that void at least a little bit. Beverly will be the most significant contributor when it comes to that aspect. He will guard the best opposing point guard, and shooting guard on a nightly basis. Nevertheless, the market will be heavy with plenty of talent next summer and it could be a massive one for Rob Pelinka depending on how this season turns out for the Lakers. He could have many tough decisions to make especially if Davis has another injury-plagued season where he can’t stay on the court. That could raise a few possibilities of a potential trade.
The Lakers finished this season in an underwhelming fashion as they went 33-49, and Davis, Westbrook and James only played in a total of 21 games together. That can’t be the case this year under new head coach Darvin Ham. Ham wants to implement a defensive scheme and a defensive-driven squad. Which is what the Lakers need, but they also need to build chemistry and be on the court together. In the last two years, that hasn’t happened. Ham is excited about the possibilities with Westbrook and the ways he can use him
certain sets and lineups. But he made it clear that it starts on defense, and that’s where his focus needs to be.
The number one concern for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-23 season will be health. If they can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit with the amount of talent on this team. But if they can’t, it could once again be a trainwreck.
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