The Los Angeles Lakers Just Transformed Into An Old Folks Home
When the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook ($44.2m), it meant that with Lebron ($42.5m) and AD ($38m), the new Big 3 in Los Angeles are going to pull down $124.7m next year.
Here’s where I remind people that the NBA Salary Cap for the 2021-2022 season is $112 million.
Of course, that means that they need a WHOLE bunch of league minimums to fill out their roster (they only had four players under contract earlier this week).
So what’s Rob Pelinka to do?
Party like it’s 2012, that’s what. And that means wheeling in a roster full of olds on league minimum contracts.
How old? When it’s all said and done, perhaps historically old.
The Lake Show just went out and signed two guys who will be 36 and one guy who will be 34 this season. All three of them are former Lakers, by the way.
Here’s who is filling out the Laker roster in Free Agency so far:
Trevor Ariza (2007-2009) 36 Years Old
Dwight Howard (2012-2013; 2019-2020) 36 years Old
Wayne Ellington Jr. (2014-2015) 34 Years Old
And you know who’s rumored to be next?
37-year-old Carmelo Anthony.
This team is fast on its way to becoming the oldest team in the league, and maybe the oldest team in recent memory. Add in some other players reported to be on the Lakers' radar, like Avery Bradley (30) and J.J. Redick (37) and Patty Mills (33) and you’re going to have a team with an average age well over 30.
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As a Blazers fan, these are things you just hate to see… Guys just a half-decade or more removed from their prime?
At least they’re all on the same timetable?
You know what? Here’s where I remind people Andrew Bynum is only 33 years old. Jordan Farmar is only 34. And of course, Pau Gasol is kicking around Barcelona and he’s only 41.
Hell, Rob Pelinka. Go out and sign Derek Fisher and Robert Horry while you’re at it. Anyone who played with Kobe should be on the immediate to-call list.
Can the Lakers win with this lineup? Sure. Stranger things have happened.
Will they win it all with this lineup? MMM betting not.
Not only are there legit spacing issues with Russ and Bron and AD, along with Dwight and most likely Marc Gasol but you’re counting on a whole lot of aging players to stay healthy, and the one thing this season taught us? Injuries decide titles during the Age of Covid.
If the Lakers really wanted to be crazy, they’d just go into the luxury tax for the guy Magic Johnson decidedly called “not a Laker” in Dennis Schröder who turned down 20 plus million dollars a year too.
What a strange, strange roster the Lakers are rolling out.