Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons why Jeff Teague is a nice fallback option

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Jeff Teague #00 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on March 06, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. The market for Jeff Teague may not be that strong

Adding to the relative ease of the Los Angeles Lakers being able to sign Teague is the fact that the rest of the market for him may not be formidable.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the salary cap for the 2020-21 season may not increase, and therefore teams may not have as much money to spend this offseason.

In addition, the 2021 and 2022 offseasons could be huge, with stars such as Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Bradley Beal being available. Therefore, teams may not even want to spend money in order to save up for next year and the year after.

Given all that, it seems less likely that another team may be willing to shell out big bucks for Teague.

If the Lakers are under the luxury tax apron, they should have the full mid-level exception available, which is expected to be nearly $10 million. That may be enough to entice Teague to sign, especially if he will prioritize winning a championship over big bucks.

The Lakers would also have their bi-annual exception available, which could be at or close to $4 million. If by a stroke of good fortune, Teague is willing to sign for that little (which seems unlikely, but who knows), it would free up the MLE to spend on other players.

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