3 Lakers Who Could Still Be Traded After Anthony Davis

2. Markieff Morris, SF

When it comes to any trade, there are ancillary pieces that need to be sent both ways. As mentioned with Hachimura, the Lakers needed to include the Utah Jazz as a third team in the trade just to comply with salary cap restrictions. If you are wondering why Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber came to Los Angeles with Doncic, this is the reason why and it could lead to one player being traded if the Lakers make another deal in the next few days.

The Mavericks’ desire to make the deal came from an attempt to get out of the salary cap. Had Dallas kept Doncic around, he likely would have commanded a $350 million Supermax extension that would have been the largest contract in NBA history and made things increasingly difficult to make moves in the future.

By being proactive, they needed to find a way to help the Lakers squeeze Doncic’s current $43 million salary and $45.9 million salary for next season without sending Los Angeles into the second apron. It also didn’t help that Davis will make $54.7 million when his most recent extension kicks in next season, putting him over $8 million of what Doncic will make.

Hollinger brought up these points and wondered what an oft-injured pairing of Davis and Kyrie Irving could do in a loaded Western Conference. But this is a Lakers article and it shows a blueprint how the Lakers could put the finishing touches on a final deal.

In a perfect world, the Lakers would want to get rid of Kleber’s $11 million salary. But no team is going to want to pay that much for a 33-year-old currently averaging three points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Morris meanwhile has played in just seven games this season but is more tolerable with a $2 million salary before becoming a free agent next summer.

That’s how a piece that looks like a throw-in becomes an integral part of a deal and it could leave Morris’s second stint with the Lakers into a short one.