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The LA Lakers made headlines on Thursday with a massive trade that will bring Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles.
The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania had earlier reported the deal between the two teams. It has since become apparent that Rob Pelinka, the LA Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, will have to work overtime this offseason to fill out their roster. The Lakers don't have much to work with financially this time around, which is bound to influence their decisions.
Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Lakers’ No. 22 pick in Thursday night's NBA draft were sent to Washington. The LA Lakers also received the Wizards’ 2024 and 2028 second-round picks in return, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Russell Westbrook trade to LA Lakers not yet officially finalized
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Russell Westbrook trade has a chance to expand further until it becomes official.
“There is an expectation that the Lakers' acquisition of Russell Westbrook may not be completed until the new league calendar year, similar to the NOLA-MEM trade, and it could even be finalized as a larger, multi-team deal during free agency, according to league sources,” Fischer explained in a tweet.
There’s about a week until this deal is officially cemented in stone. This means it is still malleable and other teams may become involved between now and August 6, when the NBA’s 2021-22 salary-cap year officially begins.
Russell Westbrook thanked the Wizards in a recent tweet, bidding farewell to the city and the franchise after just one season with them.
Aftershock #1: The LA Lakers roster
Russell Westbrook
LeBron James
Alfonzo McKinnie
Anthony Davis
Marc Gasol
That’s right. The LA Lakers only have five players under contract once the trade has become official, while the rest are free agents.
Dennis Schroder (Unrestricted free agent)
Alex Caruso (UFA)
Ben McLemore (UFA)
Talen Horton-Tucker (Restricted free agent)
Wesley Matthews (UFA)
Jared Dudley (UFA)
Kostas Antetokounmpo (RFA)
Markieff Morris (UFA)
Andre Drummond (UFA)
Devontae Cacok (RFA)
With so many free agents, the LA Lakers will have to think long and hard about how to remain a competitive team next season.
Aftershock #2: Financial implications
Russell Westbrook will be earning $44.2 million next season. If you add in the salaries of the four players under contract with the LA Lakers plus the Luol Deng dead cap, that’s a total of roughly $130 million. This is already way above the $112 million salary cap for the 2021-22 season.
The LA Lakers can exceed the salary cap by re-signing their free agents and filling out their roster. They will resultantly have to pay the luxury tax, something they are willing to do to build a championship-caliber team.
At this point, the Purple and Gold can still sign free agents using the exceptions available to them. These are the $5.9 million mid-level exception and the veteran minimum exception.
The LA Lakers are highly unlikely to pursue a sign-and-trade to acquire more players. Doing so will hard cap them to $143 million, which would keep them from fielding in a competitive team for the upcoming season.
Aftershock #3: Which players will the LA Lakers keep?
Among their free agents, there are at least two players that the LA Lakers would like to retain—Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker. Caruso is one of the best defensive guards in the league and would be a valuable contributor off the bench once again. Horton-Tucker is a promising young player who can play multiple wing positions and should be even better after two seasons under his belt.
Expect the LA Lakers to spend around $20 million to keep both players in the purple and gold jersey.
There’s also a chance that Los Angeles will re-sign Markieff Morris as a floor-spacing big man and Wesley Matthews for his 3-point shooting and defense.
The question marks that remain are about Dennis Schroder. If Schroder is willing to play a Sixth Man role behind Russell Westbrook, the LA Lakers could re-sign him. But the cost of keeping Schroder with the franchise will be high.
Aftershock #4: Can the LA Lakers still get DeMar DeRozan or Buddy Hield after Russell Westbrook trade?
Two players who were rumored to be heading to Los Angeles were San Antonio Spurs free agent DeMar DeRozan and Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield. Before the Washington Wizards swooped in to take Kuzma and company from the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook, the Kings were reportedly in a good position to send Hield to Tinseltown.
Kuzma, Harrell and the 22nd pick of the 2021 draft were supposed to be the assets involved in bringing Hield to the LA Lakers. But all three, along with KCP are now with the Wizards. The Kings don’t want McKinnie or Gasol in their squad, even if their salaries match with that of Hield, who is still under contract for three seasons.
It’s a different case for DeRozan, though. A native of Southern California, the four-time All-Star can still come home to Los Angeles by signing with the Lakers using the $5.9 million exception. This could work even with Russell Westbrook’s salary on board.
If DeRozan were to shock the NBA and sign with the LA Lakers this offseason, the team would have a Big 4 and not just a Big 3, with four All-Stars on the roster. With Westbrook on the roster, they would be the favorites to win the 2022 NBA title and it would be a huge letdown if they lose.
The only question is whether DeRozan will still be inclined to join the LA Lakers this summer with Russell Westbrook already on the team.
Also Read: Russell Westbrook traded to LA Lakers: Here's how Twitter reacted to the reported blockbuster move
Guess the Lakers players!
