When it comes to Lakers general manager Pelinka, his methods are really good. Even though everyone expected that he was going to grab Gasol, he still got it as he wished.
In this way, the Lakers have gathered everyone inside. If you don't count Antetokounmpo's younger brother Costas, they currently have two centers and two power forwards. The Lakers already have 11 players under contract, but Anthony Davis's name is not the only one among them, but this is only a matter of time.
The Lakers are just waiting for Anthony Davis to sign the contract extension. The only suspense is which contract Davis will sign. I believe Pelinka has prepared several contracts, including 1+1, 2+1, and even a 4+1 that he will definitely not sign.
It is said that the reason why Davis has not signed is to put some pressure on the Lakers and not to be lazy in the trade market and free agent market. Of course, Pelinka will not be lazy. In the past two days, he has signed three free agents (Matthews, Harrell and Gasol) and made two transactions. Among them, Schroeder replaced Rondo. To make room for Garcison, McGee was sent to the Cavaliers in exchange for center Jordan Bell and forward Alfonso McKinney.
Making these transactions and signing free agents requires careful calculation, because you can’t just get in but not get out. In last season’s championship team, Rondo and Howard each voted for a new team, Danny Green and McGrady Key was replaced, Cook was waived, and Morris, Dudley and J.R. Smith are still free agents.
When we look at the Lakers roster for the last game of the Finals, there are only 5 players left. This is very rare for a championship team, even if they didn’t win the championship but just played the Heat in the Finals. , also focusing on retaining the original cast.
It was very difficult to sign Gasol due to salary cap restrictions, so in the end McGee had to be abandoned.
For Pelinka, this is both a basketball manager game and a numbers game. Each player's retention, exchange, and contract type are all related to each other. If you are not careful, any step done wrong or not completed may affect the updates of other positions. Let’s take a look at how Pelinka plays the game step by step:
In the first step, he learned that Rondo was going to the free market to get a bigger contract, and there was little hope of staying on the team, so he Danny Green, the only player with greater trade value, was used to acquire Schroeder from the Thunder. It's the same as playing cards. You have to be brave when playing cards for the first time. You have to be reluctant to let your children catch the wolf, and you can't hold back the big cards in your hands.
Many people think that if you let Green go so early, what if Caldwell-Pope also leaves? First of all, the general manager and the team's free agents can communicate in advance and be aware of it, so Pope waited calmly and was placed in the fourth step.
In the second step, as soon as the free market door opened, the Bucks' outsider Matthews was signed with a "biennial exception" of 3.62 million. This step is related to the previous step. To replace Green, he must be replaced by a player of the same type. Matthews is not as tall as Green, but he is similar on the outside, his defense is not bad, and he is strong. This move was already laid out when changing Green.
The third step is to grab Harrell from the Clippers for 19 million non-taxable mid-level players in two years. This is about who Davis's substitute is, whether it is Howard or someone else. If it is Harrell, Pelinka is equivalent to "killing two birds with one stone." You have what I don't have, and it becomes I have what you don't. To be honest, Howard was very willing to stay with the Lakers, but Pelinka acted like a villain at this time. He stabilized Howard and persuaded Harrell at the same time. Howard, who was kept in the dark, even made an own goal, thinking that He stayed with the Lakers. Pelinka did this out of necessity. Many general managers do this, so try not to be a general manager if you have nothing to do. Just play around on the computer.
The fourth step is to use 40 million for three years to retain Caldwell-Pope, fulfilling the promise to him, and thanking him for his trust and waiting.
Pope and the Lakers have had a perfect cooperation for more than a year or two. He has also received benefits from the Lakers that exceed his value many times. I still remember the two years when the Lakers' record was poor. Because of the minimum salary requirement, Pope received 17.75 million and 12 million contracts from the Lakers for two consecutive years. In fact, the Lakers gave him all the remaining money. In the past two years, Pope has begun to "give back" to the Lakers. Last season, he signed a two-year contract for 16.58 million, which is equivalent to a reduction of more than 8 million per year. His salary is always flexible, depending on how much the Lakers have left, but his performance in the playoffs has satisfied the Lakers.
The fifth step is to finally deal with Gasol. This operation is very difficult, first of all, because the signing of Matthews and Harrell used the biennial special exception and the non-tax middle class. According to regulations, the Lakers' salary ceiling is limited to 139 million, and this number cannot be exceeded for any reason. After replacing McGee's 4.2 million, the Lakers have about 87.78 million on their books. The salaries of McGinnie and Jordan Bell are not guaranteed, so Pelinka has about 50 million operating space, most of which needs to be paid to Dai. Weiss kept it. It's not yet known how much he gave Gasol, but it's probably 2.56 million per year as a veteran exception. In comparison, he received 25.6 million with the Raptors last season. Therefore, for a lot of time, Gasol will play "health basketball" and reserve it for critical moments.
For a general manager, especially the general manager of a championship team, these five steps can score almost 100 points.
You may say, the Lakers did not grab Ibaka, but was snatched away by the Clippers. Which one is better, Ibaka or Harrell? Gasol will be 36 years old in January next year. He did not perform well with the Raptors in the playoffs. Will it work with the Lakers?
In fact, in my opinion, the Lakers' primary goal is to reassure Davis, because he is the key to solving everything. With Davis and James, it's like having two high-end chefs. Whatever you cook, I will cook. There is no fixed lineup to win the championship.
Gasol is a traditional center. He won the Best Defensive Award seven years ago, and his power is still there. He may not play that long and is specially used to deal with phased lineups. Harrell is a typical small-ball insider, specially used to deal with small lineups. The Lakers also have Kuzma and Jordan Bell, and even McKinney has played small ball inside.
Next, the Lakers’ biggest task is to get Davis to sign. I believe it won’t take more than two days, and it’s time for Davis to get up.
But Pelinka's lineup is not yet complete. After Davis signs, there are still three vacancies to be filled. He will most likely go after Belinelli and Dedmon. Dedmon was traded to the Pistons just two days ago.
Lakers fans may be very satisfied, but I think that too beautiful operations may not necessarily bring the best results. They are often cautious and tread on thin ice, but there will be unexpected gains. Therefore, it is better for the Lakers to keep a low profile.
The competition for the "big fish" in the market has basically come to an end this year. After being robbed by the Lakers and Clippers, the Raptors turned to Baynes and signed him for 14.3 million in two years. The New Zealand center.
Other signings basically revolve around the early renewal of several young stars. Since the Kings renewed Fox, Mitchell and Tatum also received their dream five-year 195 million orders today. The reason why it seems to be higher than Fox is because there are special clauses in the contract. If you can enter the various best lineups in the regular season, or even win the MVP, you can get a full salary. Otherwise, the number is the same as Fox.