LeBron and Bronny are getting deals, but how do the Lakers plan to upgrade the roster?

To some, it might appear as if the Los Angeles Lakers should hang a banner that reads “Mission Accomplished” for their 2024 summer.

After all, they hired JJ Redick as their new head coach and drafted Bronny James, the son of a certain LeBron, which was what most Lakers fans seemed to be the most interested in.

(They should be far more excited about Dalton Knecht, who the Lakers snatched at No. 17 in the NBA Draft, but that’s a story for a different day.)

The mission, however, isn’t quite accomplished, even after both of the Jameses locked up new contracts, with LeBron reportedly agreeing to a $104 million deal, which will run over two seasons, and Bronny signing for $7.9 million over four years.

As it stands, the Lakers’ roster remains unfinished, or at least uncalibrated, with the team closing in on second apron territory, which would further limit their transaction maneuverability going forward.

So, let’s take a look at their situation.

It was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski that LeBron would perhaps be willing to take $1 million less in salary for the Lakers to avoid going over the second apron.

Bronny James, left, and his father, LeBron James, share a light moment as they arrive for the Lakers’ news conference in El Segundo, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

As currently constructed, the Lakers aren’t hard-capped, meaning they can in theory go over the second apron by re-signing their own players.

That isn’t their plan, however.

By not being hard-capped yet, the Lakers have one bullet left in the chamber to upgrade their roster, and will need to use it wisely.

If they aggregate salary, they are not allowed to take back more money. They are, however, allowed to take back less, but that will hard-cap them at the second apron, meaning they cannot possibly exceed it for any reason.

That brings D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent to the party.

If the Lakers can consolidate some of those contracts and get back one superior player who is paid less than the combined salary the Lakers send out, that will result in three things:

They get another key player into their fold,…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-03 18:37:36

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