Los Angeles Lakers: 3 worst contracts heading into 2017-18 season
The Los Angeles Lakers made serious progress in the financial department this offseason, but that doesn’t mean every contract currently on the books is favorable.
Since taking over as the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson has, well, worked some serious magic. Not only has he positioned the team to make a splash during 2018 NBA free agency, but he’s turned the laughingstock Lakers into the somewhat respectable Lakers.
The first step was unloading Timofey Mozgov‘s contract. It took parting with D’Angelo Russell to get the job done, but I don’t think Magic lost much sleep over it. Next, he mustered some luck and landed Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick gifted to him via the NBA Draft Lottery. Finally, he played the waiting game and scored a big-name free agent in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The best part is that he didn’t have to spend any long-term money to do these things. If only he wasn’t still busy cleaning up the mess that Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak made a year ago.
Regardless, the future looks bright for this franchise. They’ve got a fearless leader who isn’t afraid to make the difficult decision, and he’s doing the work necessary to prepare for an influx of superior talent next offseason. It’s surprising, but the Lakers actually don’t have a ton of terrible contracts on the books right now.
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Still, there are a couple that could hinder progress if not handled between now and next July. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Lakers’ three worst contracts heading into the 2017-18 season.