LeBron James will return to the Los Angeles Lakers on a brand new contract, which is the large transfer for Los Angeles’s offseason. Now, Los Angeles must fill out the fringes of its roster.
In line with Jovan Buha, James took a $3 million low cost to maintain the Lakers below the second apron, which additionally places them in place to make use of the midlevel exception, valued at $5.2 million for 2024-25. They might want to make minor strikes to free it up to be used.
Buha says that Gary Trent Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie are each names to look at based on his league sources if the Lakers can, actually, release their midlevel exception.
Dinwiddie spent the final a part of his 2023-24 season with the Lakers, signing as a free agent after he was traded to the Toronto Raptors and subsequently waived. Trent has spent the final a number of years with the Toronto Raptors. Each are wings with taking pictures capability.
Staying below the second apron is significant for the Lakers. It got here into play for the primary time this season below the brand new collective bargaining settlement, and it limits groups to how a lot wage they’ll take again in trades whereas additionally limiting them to solely having the ability to make one-for-one trades when it comes to the variety of incoming and outgoing gamers. It’s a very limiting mechanism meant to enhance parity within the league.