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.
All contract details courtesy of Spotrac.com.
Corey Brewer, SG
Contract details: 1 year, $7.5 million
Realistically, this isn’t an awful deal. As I previously mentioned, though, the Lakers don’t have a ton of awful deals on the books anymore. Still, considering the amount of money being spent at the 2-guard spot right now (three of the top five salaries), Corey Brewer’s deal seems a bit excessive.
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Then again, the Lakers knew what they were getting into when they acquired Brewer in the first place. He was essentially traded for as a contract they knew would be expiring within two years. While he does bring some value off the bench as a scorer, I wouldn’t go as far as considering him worth the price of admission.
The obvious positive here is that Brewer only has one year left. That’ll open up $7.5 million in cap space next offseason, when the Lakers are expected to go on a free agency spending spree. He may be overpriced this season, but the money runs out for Brewer at just the right time.
Overall, this contract could be worse. And yet, when you consider he won’t get too many minutes (only 14.9 per game with the Lakers last season), it feels a bit like wasted money.
Just think of it this way — Brewer will be making more in 2017-18 than Ball, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and Kyle Kuzma. Chances are, all of those players will earn more minutes per game and make a bigger impact this year. Again, seems like wasted money.
Jordan Clarkson, SG
Contract details: 3 years, $37.5 million ($11.5 million in 2017-18)
Don’t get me wrong here — Jordan Clarkson is going to be a huge asset for the Lakers this season. Even with Ball and Caldwell-Pope locked in as the starting backcourt, we’ll get a hearty helping of Clarkson as the top guard off the bench.
Folks seem to focus on the contracts handed out to Mozgov and Luol Deng as the lowlights of the last regime. However, it’s often overlooked that Clarkson also received a rather overpriced deal of sorts. While there’s no denying he deserved a pay day, I’m not sure $12.5 million per year was warranted.
What’s worse is it’s going to hurt the Lakers at some point between now and next offseason. Whether it means they don’t have the cap space for key role players or they can’t re-sign someone like Julius Randle, Clarkson’s numbers will prove restrictive.
Again, I’m not saying Clarkson isn’t a valuable asset for Los Angeles. I’m sure he’ll kill it coming off the bench this year. At this point, he may even be one of the better sixth men in the NBA. I just don’t believe he’s worth the amount of dough he’s going to gobble up in 2017-18.
You recall the list of players making less than Brewer? The same concept applies here, except Clarkson is making $4 million more than Brewer this year and still has two years left on his deal.
Luol Deng, SF
Contract details: 3 years, $54 million ($17.1 million in 2017-18)
Here it is. The albatross of a contract that lingers large over Johnson and the Lakers. They somehow found a taker for Mozgov’s horrendous deal, but that doesn’t mean the work is done. If they still plan on going all-in during 2017 free agency, Deng’s contract needs to be gone as well.
It’s almost unfathomable that Deng signed a deal paying him $16 million per year just one offseason ago. He’s 32 years old, is a shell of his former self and can’t stay healthy. To make matters worse, the Lakers spent way more than they needed to to get him to sign on the dotted line.
Here’s this tidbit from the OC Register’s Mark Medina:
"“Despite hoping to re-sign with the Miami Heat during the 2016 offseason, Deng found something more enticing. The Lakers offered Deng a four-year, $72 million contract, a product of both a rising salary cap and a rebuilding team in desperate need of a few proven veterans… So, Deng called Heat president Pat Riley and Coach Erik Spoelstra to say ‘this is something I can’t turn down.’ Spoelstra agreed: ‘You have to take that right away.'”"
So essentially, the Lakers outbid themselves to sign a player who was already well past his prime. Sounds like a smart financial move (*sarcasm*), although it makes sense when you consider Buss was likely looking to sabotage more than solve.
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Unfortunately, it’s going to take a desperate team and significant assets to unload Deng’s pricey deal. More than likely, the Lakers will need to part with at least one prospect and maybe a future first-round pick. Either way, it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for a team looking to keep as many assets as possible to lure in top free agents next offseason.