In theory, all looks great for the Lakers. D'Angelo Russell is on board alongside Julius Randle, Los Angeles is Los Angeles and Kobe Bryant has a few years left. As an added bonus, the league itself gets an infusion of cap space soon.
Still, the news surrounding the organization has slowed to a trickle while the front office works on visits, pitches and more. Below, let's take a look at some of the recent updates off the rumor mill.
Clearing Cap Space
Given the team's obvious interest in key free agents such as DeAndre Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge and others, it makes sense general manager Mitch Kupchak and the front office want to shed cap space.
Despite the frenzy of the open market, it sounds like the Lakers are multitasking quite well by working the phones in such an effort. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported the rumblings:
Want a bit of context? ESPN's Kevin Pelton explains the franchise's current cap situation:
The Lakers don't want two max contracts this offseason, of course, but it just goes to show what a hole the franchise remains in right now. It should go without saying, then, that this rebuild isn't exclusive to one year.
So it goes when the team still owes Bryant a cap hit of $25 million next season, per Spotrac. The good news? If a trade akin to a salary dump occurs, it means something much bigger could be on the way.
Jordan Hill Return?
Like most expected, the Lakers declined the team option of big man Jordan Hill.
With Randle on board and the allure of a major free agent coming to town to play next to him, it made sense to nix a $9 million commitment. The 27-year-old ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
