The Los Angeles Lakers are fresh off a championship and are gearing up for another. These are the franchise’s three worst contracts.
The Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th title because of how many great contracts they had. When you get to employ both LeBron James and Anthony Davis for a combined $64.5 million, your team is going to be insanely good as long as you don’t literally burn your remaining salary cap space. Even then, a big three of LeBron, Davis, and a $70 million pile of burning cash might still win the championship.
The Lakers did exactly that but 2020-21 is a new season and new contracts have been inked. The defending champs have added more good contracts by signing Montrezl Harrell and trading for Dennis Schroder while re-signing Anthony Davis.
However, the league’s foremost glamour franchise isn’t impervious to the ill-fated bad contract. The good news for Lakers fans is that the franchise has so much financial firepower and mystique that they’re better suited than any other team to weather a regretful salary commitment.
The worst contracts are expensive, long and tied to an unproductive older player. As players get older, the longer the contract the worse in most general managers’ eyes. How easily a contract can be moved, especially for non-superstars, goes a long way in determining its value around the league.
The Lakers’ current roster is well-constructed to play off of their two superstars’ prodigious talents. The additions of Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol have offset and improved upon last season’s frontcourt timeshare of Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. The same can be said of their additions of Dennis Schroder and Wesley Matthews who offer more upside than the departed Rajon Rondo and Danny Green.
Schroder is a real upgrade over Rondo and while Danny Green is an invaluable 3-and-D player, Matthews played that role for the Bucks last season as they stormed to the league’s best record. Overall, the Lakers have a stronger roster than the one that won them the championship.
Without further ado let’s look at the Lakers’ three worst contracts. These are the ones that could prevent them from repeating as champions or hamstring them in the future.