Cap Situation

The Lakers are on the books for almost $68 M next season, and the team won’t have any salary cap flexibility until next summer, when Brian Grant’s $15.6 M contract finally comes off the books.

Kobe Bryant will make $17.7 M next season and is set to make over $106 M over the next five years. Bryant is one of the few players in the league worth that kind of money. His EPM of .680 is #10 in the league, second amongst shooting guards (Dwayne Wade), and he led the league in scoring with 35.4 ppg. He also shot 45% from the field last season after shooting less than 44% each of the last two seasons.

Lamar Odom’s contract runs three more years at the tune of $40.6 M. With an EPM of .533, he’s not a bad deal. He averaged 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, but with the dearth of scoring on the Lakers’ roster, he should be scoring 17+ per game.

Despite his struggles against Phoenix in the playoffs, Smush Parker is a great deal at his salary of $0.8 M next season, averaging 11.5 points, 3.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. He’s entering the final year of his contract, so he’ll be looking for a big pay raise next summer. The team wasn’t expecting Parker to play so well, which is why they signed Aaron McKie to a two-year/$5 M contract last offseason. He’s got one more year before his contract ($2.7 M) is up.

The team traded away Caron Butler for Kwame Brown last offseason in the hopes that he could develop into a solid post presence. Brown is physically gifted, but he has some of the worst hands in the league. He averaged 7.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field. He did show improvement during the season, tallying 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in the month of April. Brown did most of his damage while Chris Mihm was injured. Mihm is entering the last year of his contract ($4.2 M) and at an EPM of .490, he’s a pretty good deal. He averaged 10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Brian Cook’s EPM of .477 is encouraging, but he’s entering the final year of his contract and may not be in the team’s long term plans. Luke Walton (.387) is also in the last year of his contract ($1.3 M).

Offseason Blueprint

The team only has three players (Bryant, Odom and Brown) signed for 2007-08, so unless they’re able to pull off a major trade this summer, the team will undergo an overhaul next summer, when Grant’s expiring contract will give them much needed salary cap room.

Rumors have been flying for some time about a potential trade that would bring Kevin Garnett to the team. Garnett’s unselfishness would be a great fit with Bryant and with the right supporting cast, the team would become an instant contender in the West. If the Lakers are going to wrest Garnett from the Wolves, they need to do it soon. But do the Lakers have the pieces necessary to bring KG to L.A.?

KG makes $20 M next season, so any deal would have to include Odom’s $12.5 M salary. If the Lakers throw in Mihm, Andrew Bynum and this year’s first round draft pick (#26 overall), the Wolves might bite (although I’d hold out for two first round picks).

If the team is unable to pull off a blockbuster trade on this order, then all they can do is use their mid-level exception, draft well, and wait for next summer to make a big move. Speedy Claxton is a name that I keep mentioning in these Offseason Blueprints, and he would be a nice fit with the Lakers. But don’t be surprised if the Lakers go after Marcus Banks this summer. They tried to trade Gary Payton for him two years ago, but Payton failed the physical.

Notes:

The Lakers’ EPM by player (league average = .445)

Player EPM League Rank
Kobe Bryant 0.680 # 10
Lamar Odom 0.533 # 46
Chris Mihm 0.490 # 80
Brian Cook 0.477 # 95
Laron Profit 0.388 # 203
Luke Walton 0.387 # 204
Kwame Brown 0.386 # 209
Smush Parker 0.374 # 226
Devean George 0.359 # 253
Sasha Vujacic 0.282 # 311
Jim Jackson 0.191 # 347