Los Angeles Lakers: Why the Lakers aren’t trading for Buddy Hield

The Los Angeles Lakers made a massive blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook on Thursday, trading Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the 22nd overall pick for Westbrook and two future second-round picks.

It is definitely an interesting fit with LeBron James and Anthony Daivs, to say the least, and the attention has now turned to what the Lakers will do next. There is a select list of free agents that the team should pursue in order to fill out the roster.

There is also the possibility of the Lakers signing and trading Dennis Schroder. Buddy Hield was rumored to be a trade target before the Lakers acquired Westbrook and some believe that the purple and gold could still work out a deal for Hield.

I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but it is not happening.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers will not trade for Buddy Hield:

The Los Angeles Lakers absolutely could trade for Buddy Hield. It is possible, it is just very unlikely with the tax apron. The Lakers are the second-most valuable team in the NBA but they would be taking on quite the tax bill by getting Hield.

The trio of Westbrook, LeBron and AD account for around $120 million in salary-cap space. Hield is making $22.4 million in 2021, which would put the Lakers at $142 million, give or take a few hundred thousand.

There are other moves the Lakers need to make as well. They cannot let Alex Caruso walk as he is hugely important to the identity of the team. They have Bird Rights on Caruso, so they can re-sign him, and he probably gets a salary of around $7.5 million. We will round up to $150 million.

Talen Horton-Tucker is also a restricted free agent. He is going to cost the team another $6 million or so if he returns, which he should. Add the 6-7 minimum contract players the lakers will need to sign to fill out the roster, plus Marc Gasol’s contract and the $5 million owed to Luol Deng still and the Lakers are looking at around $175 million in payroll with THT, around $169 million without him.

The tax apron was set at $138.9 million last season. It tends to creep up year-over-year, and while it has not been set yet, a safe estimation (and a round number) is $140 million. That puts the Lakers anywhere from $29 million to $35 million over the tax apron.

Any team over the tax apron must pay 150% of however much they are over the apron in taxes alone. So not only are the Lakers paying $29-35 million over the tax apron, but they would be paying another $43.5 million to $52.5 million in taxes alone.

Yes, they are a big-market team but $50 million in taxes alone is absurd.

The Lakers are likely going to go over the tax apron anyways, which is going to limit their in-season moves as keeps them from signing someone to a mid-level exception. However, the difference between going $7-10 million over the apron and $29-35 million over the apron is substantial.

If you really think about it, the Lakers wouldn’t just be paying Hield the $22.4 million he is owed this season. They would be willingly taking on the tax that comes with him ($33.6 million).

Are the Los Angeles Lakers going to pay a combined $56 million for Buddy Hield when they can get off-ball three-point shooters for the minimum? No. Hield is barely worth his current contract, let alone $56 million.

And we did not even get into the fact that the Sacramento Kings have literally zero reason to trade for Dennis Schroder, but that is beside the point. The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to orchestrate any sort of sign-and-trade with Schroder after adding Westbrook.