Los Angeles Lakers: Why not having a max-slot is a good thing

Due to the timing of the Anthony Davis trade, the Los Angeles Lakers are now entering free agency, unable to target max-level free agents. Here’s why that’s actually a good thing.

A reported blockbuster deal has sent superstar big man Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the No. 4 pick in the 2019 Draft, a top-8 protected 2021 pick (which can become unprotected in 2022), an unprotected pick swap in 2023, another unprotected first-rounder in 2024, and one last pick swap in 2025.

Now that we’ve got the complicated trade language out of the way, where does that leave the Lakers? Due to the construct of the current CBA, the timing of the trade will radically alter what the Lakers can do in free agency.

As of right now, all the Lakers need to do is renounce the cap holds of all pending free agents, as they will be operating as a team under the cap and will, therefore, have enough cap space to simply trade for Davis without having to match salaries. However, doing so will leave them short of having enough money to offer a max contract, down to around $27.1 million.

There’s also another caveat in the deal, which is Anthony Davis’ trade-kicker, worth around $4 million. Should he decide to use it, that would lower the Laker’s cap-space to $23.7 million.

If the Lakers want the highly coveted ‘max-slot’, they will have to make their free agent signing first, draft and sign their No. 4 pick (for the Pelicans) and wait at least 30 days to be able to include the newly signed draft pick in the deal.

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The Pelicans have no reason to wait for the Lakers and have already started receiving inquiries into the 4th pick they’ve acquired. According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal will most likely occur around July 6th.

Let me tell you why this hiccup is actually a blessing in disguise. If the Lakers were to sign a max-free agent such as Kemba Walker or Jimmy Butler, that would leave the roster incredibly depleted. Having your money tied up in three players is never an ideal situation, even if two of those players are LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

We just saw how important depth is in the 2019 NBA Finals, as the top-heavy Golden State Warriors succumbed to injuries, while the deep roster of the Toronto Raptors prevailed.

The Lakers already succeeded in attracting the max-talent. They landed LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Now they need to build around the margins, not put all of their eggs in one free agent basket. So even with ‘only’ $23.7 million in cap space, the Lakers still have a lot of options when it comes to free agency.

For instance, Brook Lopez would be the perfect center to pair next to Anthony Davis, and veteran guards like George Hill, Danny Green, and JJ Redick can also be had for a reasonable price. Those aren’t the only options, as Dewayne Dedmon is another solid big man option that would jump at the opportunity to compete for a championship after toiling on an unsuccessful Atlanta team the past few seasons.

Other solid shooting options can come in the form of Bojan Bogdanovic, Reggie Bullock, and Wayne Ellington, all of whom are low-usage, high-efficiency guards that can also be capable defenders.

By virtue of the fact that the Lakers won’t be able to offer max-contracts to the Tier 1/2 level players, it might actually be a blessing in disguise for the team. Instead of sacrificing depth for a max-player, they will now be ‘forced’ to target role players and complementary pieces that may very well create a more complete and competitive roster.

Next. 3 Starters To Target In Free Agency. dark

For a more in-depth look at what potential free-agents the Lakers can sign with their updated cap-figure, you can look at my previous pieces on free agents in Tier 4, Tier 3, and Tier 2.

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