Can L.A. Lakers Land Both LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan in Free Agency?
When it comes to courting free-agent superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers abide by a simple yet decisive precept: Why choose?
LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, both unrestricted free agents, are on the Lakers' radar. And while most teams with cap space to burn would be satisfied with signing one, the Lakers aren't most teams.
They're trying to sign both, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
Is this possible? Is it even worth discussing?
To answer the latter question, a conversation is absolutely necessary. The Lakers' ambitions, lofty as they are, won't be retreating into reality anytime soon.
Not when free agency's early returns give them cause to push forward.
The Lakers and Aldridge talked shop to start the offseason extravaganza, and a source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne that the Lakers came away encouraged:
Like, really encouraged:
Aldridge is already being pegged as one of the summer's biggest flight risks, so there are no surprises there. But Jordan could be right behind him.
His return to the Los Angeles Clippers is considered a formality on so many levels. They're ready-made title contenders, and unlike every other suitor, they can offer him a five-year contract worth north of $105 million.
But according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, Jordan is seeking a four-year deal with an option to re-enter free agency three seasons from now, in 2018, by which time the salary cap will have left a $100 million ceiling in its rearview.
That curbs the Clippers' leverage considerably. Especially if, as Broussard posited, Jordan is seeking a bigger role.
Any interested team can offer him four years. The Clippers' lone advantage is now their ability to hand him 7.5 percent annual raisesโcompounded off his first-year salaryโcompared to the 4.5 percent their competition can sling.
And that makes Jordan a flight risk.
And that's why the Lakers dare to dream of pairing him with Aldridge.
Which brings us back to the elephant-sized question in the room: Is this frontcourt formation even possible?ย
Both Aldridge and Jordan have been in the league at least seven years and are eligible to receive a max deal that eats up 30 percent of the salary cap in its first season. Next season's cap is tentatively set at $67.1 million, which would put their starting salaries at around $20.1 million.
The Lakers have two things working in their favor here.
First, Basketball Related Income (BRI) comes into play when determining max-contract scales, and it typically drives onset salaries down below that 30 percent threshold. The formula by which it's determined is convoluted, but there's a nice breakdown of the process on Reddit.
Players with Aldridge's and Jordan's experience can actually sign on for around $18.9 million to start, giving the Lakers some extra wiggle room.
Second, the salary cap may actually climbย above $67.1 million. Sources told CBS Sports' Ken Bergerย that the initial projections were off by as much as $2 million and that the cap could actually reach $69 million.
Max-salary amounts could increase along with the cap, but the new forecast still provides the Lakers with more flexibility. And, in instances such as these, every dollar counts.
Seven players on the Lakers' roster have guaranteed salaries for next season: Kobe Bryant, Ryan Kelly, Larry Nance Jr., Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Robert Sacre and Nick Young. Jordan Clarkson's non-guaranteed deal should also be viewed as guaranteed, since he's slated to earn less than $1 million and secured All-Rookie First Team honors last season.
Assuming the Lakers renounce the rights to all their incumbent free agents and ditch the non-guaranteed pacts of Tarik Black, Anthony Brown and Jabari Brown, here's what next season's ledger will look like. Note that a minimum cap hold worth $525,093 is added for every roster spot under the league minimum of 12:
| Kobe Bryant | $25,000,000 |
| Nick Young | $5,219,169 |
| D'Angelo Russell (rookie-scale hold) | $4,252,600 |
| Julius Randle | $3,132,240 |
| Ryan Kelly | $1,724,250 |
| Robert Sacre | $981,348 |
| Larry Nance Jr. (rookie-scale hold) | $963,000 |
| Jordan Clarkson | $845,059 |
| Total | $44,218,038 |
| Projected Salary Cap | $67,100,000 |
| Difference | $22,881,962 |
If the salary cap rises by another $2 million, the Lakers will have roughly $24.9 million to spend. But rather than account for an extra $2 million that may or may not be available, we're going to use the original $67.1 million projection as a benchmark.ย
So, as of now, the Lakers have $22.9 million to disperse. That's only enough for one of Aldridge or Jordan, even if their (erroneously) expecting them to accept pay cuts.
To really put this ambitious plan into action, the Lakers must dump salary. They just don't have a lot of salary to dump.
Unloading Bryant isn't an option. No team is going to absorb his $25 million price tag, and employing the stretch provision, waiving him and spreading his salary out over the next three seasons wouldn't be worth the public relations nightmare it would create.
It's equally unreasonable to think the Lakers would just offload Russell on a cap-clearing whim. He's a No. 2 pick, and they have high expectations for him.
"He's got gifts that you can work really long and hard onโand still not acquire those gifts," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said of Russell, via Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding. "Some of them you're just born with, or someone sprinkles a little gold dust on you at some point. It's just there."
Similar thinking should apply to Randle. He's a No. 7 pick and not someone the Lakers should just pawn.
But let's say they do. Maybe they're able to nab a first-rounder for Randle. Perhaps they use him to coax another team into swallowing Young's deal.
Here is what next season's salary commitments would look like if the Lakers dumped Randle and everyone else not named Kobe or D'Angelo without taking back any contracts in return:
| Kobe Bryant | $25,000,000 |
| D'Angelo Russell (rookie-scale hold) | $4,252,600 |
| 10 minimum cap holds @ $525,093 | $5,250,930 |
| Projected Salary Cap | $67,100,000 |
| Difference | $32,596,470 |
Opening up $32.6 million won't be enough for both Aldridge and Jordan. It falls short of the approximate $37.8 million they should combine to earn next season.
Inexplicably auctioning off Russell's $4.3 million for nothing in return wouldn't even be enough. That brings the Lakers' spending capacity to $36.4 millionโ$4.3 million extra, minus one minimum cap hold.
In the event the cap does rise another $2 million, the Lakers would be right there. They would have $38.4 million to invest in Aldridge and Jordan, which would likely be enough even if max salaries rise with the cap.
All this means exactly what you think it means, and ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton was kind enough to tweet it out loud:
Short of actually moving or waiving Bryantโagain, neither is happeningโthe Lakers have only two moves left if they're not prepared to totally break up the band.
We'll now defer toย Larry Coon, author of the CBA FAQ blog:ย
"SCENARIO 2: Convince either Jordan, or Aldridge, or both to take less money. This scenario probably isnโt very likely โ not when several teams will be competing for both playersโ services.
SCENARIO 3: Sign-and-trade. If the Lakers kept some of their free agents, they potentially could sign Jordan with their cap room, and then compile enough salary (about $13.8 million) to instrument a sign-and-trade with the Blazers for Aldridge.
"
Forget about pay cuts. Aldridge and Jordan are sacrificing some level of financial security by signing with the Lakers in the first place. They aren't about to join the cause at a steep discount just so Bryant can make $25 million next season.
Sign-and-trades are unlikely as well. Aldridge and Jordan have reason enough to ask for one if they want to play together, but the Portland Trail Blazers and Clippers, respectively, must oblige. And unless one of them is super-high on a package built around Clarkson, Kelly, Randle, Young and non-guaranteed fodder, the Lakers don't have the asset appeal to jumpstart negotiations.
Convincing Aldridge and Jordan to sign discounted two-year deals with player options for 2016-17 might be a dark-horse sales pitch. They could play out next season on below-market pacts worth, say, $16 million and then re-up with the Lakers for much more when the cap explodes.
Once again, though, this is convenient for the Lakers, not Aldridge or Jordan. They would both need to be in love with Russellโhigh enough on him to justify a $3 million pay cut.
This too means exactly what you think it means.
When it comes to Aldridge and Jordan, the Lakers must, in fact, choose.ย
Stats courtesy ofย Basketball-Reference.comย andย NBA.comย unless otherwise cited. Salary information courtesy ofย Basketball Insidersย andย Larry Coon's CBA FAQ. Draft-pick commitments fromย RealGM.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter:ย @danfavale.ย
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