Los Angeles Lakers: The percentage chance that each player returns

Players still under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers: 

Five players whose collective salaries next season (plus the final $5 million installment of Luol Deng’s restructured contract) total about $110 million. The team can exceed the cap to retain their own players but not to sign outside free agents beyond certain minimum contracts.

Owner Jeanie Buss has expressed her willingness to exceed the luxury tax, which should kick in at $136.6 million. But obviously, the Lakers will have little wiggle room. Here are the five players under contract:

LeBron James: 99.9%

With a full four months off, expect LeBron to return fully healed and in great shape, ready to prove to all naysayers that he’s still among the top players in the game

Anthony Davis: 99.8%

We can also expect that Davis will also use the long offseason to recuperate from his leg injuries and get in tip-top shape.

Marc Gasol: 80%

Although it’s possible the 36-year-old center retires, Gasol hasn’t given any indication that’s even under consideration. It’s also conceivable he’ll be included in a potential trade package.

But as of now, the Lakers need big men, so he’ll most likely be back. He still plays well defensively against bigger centers and even averaged 1.1 blocks in just 19 minutes per game. And it doesn’t hurt that he tied for team-high by converting 41% of his three-point tries.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 75%

KCP is due to earn $13 million next season, making him one of the few Lakers who could be included in a package deal that would bring in a star player. But that’s not likely to happen.

Pelinka knows how important it is to surround the two Lakers stars with 3 & D wings. KCP checks both boxes and was the best deep threat the Lakers had on the wing last season when he shot a career-high 41% from behind the arc.

Although he is extremely streaky, KCP was one of the league’s best long-distance shooters at the beginning of this past season. Then he injured and reinjured his ankle several times. It went little-noticed that his shooting deteriorated each time that happened, including in the playoffs against Phoenix.

Kyle Kuzma: 50%

His new $13 million contract will kick in following a season when he improved both his defense and his three-point shooting (36%). But now he’s the most likely Laker to be traded.

However, getting the value Pelinka will want in return, a quality big man, point guard or wing, won’t be an easy task. Whether or not Kuzma returns is still up in the air.