Theoretically, he should be showing his age by now, but he just averaged the second-most points of his career (30.3) while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and rounding out his stat line with 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks. King James still sits atop his throne, even with his 37th birthday behind him. He only made it through 40 games last season, but when he was out there, he was the Association's only player to average 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. 94 Feet) and an accurate shooter from outside (career 37.8 percent).ĭavis has encountered a slew of injury woes in recent seasons, but his seat as co-star of this club remains untested. He is a ferocious defender the full length of the floor (Mr. 3 spot for what appears to be a seamless fit with L.A.'s biggest stars. Last season was among the worst of his career, and he was still one of only five players to average 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.īeverley probably won't post the third-best numbers on the Lakers-he was last a double-digit scorer in 2017-18-but he claims the No. Westbrook is overpaid, on the trade block and very much an awkward fit for this roster, but he's still a steady source of volume-category production. He arrived last summer as an undrafted player on a two-way pact and had his contract converted to a big league deal before the season tipped.Īndrew D. Reaves has good instincts, a (mostly) there-when-he-needs-it three-ball and seemingly limitless supplies of energy. He might be the favorite to spawn the most conversations between Lakers fans of their non-stars, since his highlights are loud but his inconsistency can be maddening. 18 pick in 2018, Walker pairs explosive athleticism with a fiery (though streaky) outside shot. Plucked away from the NBA champion Warriors, Toscano-Anderson is an energizer in transition (as a finisher and playmaker) and extremely versatile on defense. Knocking down more 3-pointers more efficiently is how to. The Lakers will hope that experience and frugality - if you want to call it that - will ultimately prevail as they look to keep pace with the Eastern Conference’s Brooklyn Nets next season.Another big man about to start his second stint in L.A., Bryant has had his injury issues, but when he's healthy, he's a big body (6'10", 248 lbs) who can space the floor (career 35 percent from three) and block shots. The Lakers have one of the NBAs best defenses, and their rim protection with James, Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt has given Memphis fits. Keep in mind, the Lakers did add six players over the age of 32 this offseason - the most in NBA history. The Lakers certainly could have used Caruso for the upcoming season - at 27, he’d be the fourth-youngest player of all of the team’s active roster players - but they ultimately decided signing veteran players at the minimum is a better route to go for the upcoming season. “And look, you can sit here and quibble and say ‘how can you worry about the tax when you have LeBron James approaching 37, like you should be all-in to win now?’ But they worried about it, and that’s their prerogative.” Because Schröder, plus Hield, plus KCP, plus other role players was probably going to end up being more expensive than Russ, even though Russ makes a massive amount of money.” “Even the Russ trade, the tax was not not a consideration. ![]() “Well look, the Caruso decision was a tax decision,” said Lowe. The Lakers project to be in this range entering the 2021-22 season. The incremental maximum for this level is $16.25 million. ![]() ![]() For those not aware how the luxury tax works in the NBA, the tax line is at $136.6 million for the 2021-22 season.įor teams between $15,000,000 and $19,999,999 over the cap, the tax rate is $3.25 for every dollar over the cap. Ultimately, Caruso passed on signing a less lucrative deal to return to a contending Lakers squad in favor of the more lucrative deal behind a rebuilding - but suddenly intriguing - Chicago Bulls squad.Īs Zach of Lowe of ESPN stressed, this was purely a tax decision by the Lakers, as paying the extra $3 million per season was not worth paying the extra money for the team.
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