Lakers Rumors: Bold predictions for the Lakers offseason
By Jason Reed
The Lakers will get rid of Timofey Mozgov or Luol Deng, if not both
If the Lakers want to bring in Paul George next season, which as this point seems inevitable, they are going to half to free up some luggage. The biggest pieces of luggage in the Lakers organization are Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng, and pretty ironically, they are arguably the worst contributors heading into next season.
It is not to say that Mozgov and Deng cannot bring something to the table, but as age creeps upon them they are only falling further behind this young Lakers core. Both players average around seven points, five rebounds, and one assist per game. As a role player off the bench those numbers are decent, the only problem is these two are paid like superstars.
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Perhaps just outside of superstar pay, the duo are still making some pretty money off of the Lakers. Combined the duo is set to take up $32 million in cap space next season, meaning they make up around 37% of the Lakers cap.
Los Angeles does have some wiggle room, having around $15 million free in cap space next year, but that is not enough for Paul George. If they want to bring George in, they are going have to offer somewhere around thirty million.
The Lakers could release either player, but that would amount in dead cap space. Los Angeles needs to somehow move one of these guys, even if they have to add a pick along with it. The pay off in Paul George is too big to ignore moving either of these guys.
Overall, these predictions may not please the every day fan after the countless Lakers rumors, but they may be the route the Lakers take. All we can do from here is sit back, and watch it all unfold.