The Lakers, one of the most decorated franchises in the NBA, is usually linked with big names in offseason. But according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, that is not the case this year.
The reason why is the new Collective Bargaining Agreement which makes it virtually impossible to have three max contracts along with any depth on the roster. Wojnarowski says that the goal for the Lakers is to keep their young players and maybe add someone like Chris Paul.
“It starts with keeping the players they have and the two young players – one they acquired Rui Hachimura in the trade with Washington and Austin Reaves who they brought in and have developed,” Woj said on Get Up. “They’re both restricted free agents.
“I think their number one goal is they’re not letting either of those two out of the building. They’re going to match offer sheets for them or see if they can get to an extension on either of them. D’Angelo Russell – can they get to a contract number that makes sense for them as their point guard – another player they picked up at the trade deadline.
“And then they’ve got their exception. They can go out in free agency and get another player who could be helpful. Is Chris Paul going to be available in free agency – whether he gets waived in Phoenix or traded and waived somewhere else as part of another deal? I think staying in Los Angeles where he’s got his home for Chris Paul the Lakers, the Clippers are going to be prominent in that conversation.
“But there’s no big game hunting for this Laker organization. In this league right now with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement you can’t really have three max contracts, three superstars and expect to have any depth on your roster. It’s going to look a lot the same.”
