L.A. Lakers: What Shannon Brown's Opt-out Means for Them

Shannon Brown has opted out of his contract and will test the free agency market once the NBA, by the grace of compromise and negotiation, can lock in with a new collective bargaining agreement and resume business as usual.

Brown's agent, Mark Bartelstein, will tell you that yes, Shannon Brown will be a free agent, but wants to remain with the Lakers.  But what if that doesn't happen?  What if Kobe Bryant's primary back-up moves on to another team for more playing time and more money?  How will this affect the Lakers?

Let's analyze the impact Brown's opt out may have on the Lakers moving forward.

Contract Issues

Assuming Brown's agent is correct and Shannon remains a Laker, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and the Buss family will have to orchestrate a multi-year deal to keep him in a Lakers uniform.  While it is too early to tell what the new NBA collective bargaining agreement will look like, let's assume for a minute that the current rules apply, and the Lakers choose to exercise their mid-level exception on Shannon for next year.

This means Shannon would receive an annual salary in the ballpark of $5.8 million to $6.0 million over multiple years, say 5 years, the same contract length the Lakers gave Ron Artest in 2009.  We certainly know the Lakers can afford this type of contract—the Buss family literally prints money—but do the Lakers want this type of contract?  It seems a bit bulky for a role player despite Brown's obvious talents. 

Brown would not have opted out unless he and his agent were confident they could obtain more money on the open market, more than the $2.1 million Brown would have been owed had he opted in.  It doesn't seem plausible that the Lakers—already over the salary cap—would use up all their signing power on Brown, especially considering the trade possibilities that have been floated since the season ended.  It would certainly be easier to let Shannon walk and preserve their salary chips to possibly land a blockbuster trade before the season begins.

Roster Space for Lakers' Rookies

Without Brown, the Lakers would have two spots to fill on their 12-man roster, assuming Theo Ratliff retires (all indications say he will), Joe Smith is not re-signed (all indications say that he won't), and Laker sophomores Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter rejoin the team next season (all indications say they will).  This is also assuming that party animal Luke Walton, the Lakers' most expensive towel boy, is no longer with the team due to a possible "amnesty clause" included in a new collective bargaining agreement that allows teams to buy out one bad contract moving forward. 

Naturally, these two spots can be filled, at a much cheaper price, by Lakers draftees Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock.  If the rookies are both NBA ready, which I'll admit is a big if, combo guard Andrew Goudelock could fill in nicely off the bench in place of Shannon and provide consistent outside shooting that was sorely lacking last season.  And Darius Morris' playmaking ability could be a solid addition to the second unit.

The Lakers rookies are nowhere near Shannon's realm in terms of ability, but the tools that they do bring, shooting and playmaking ability, are certainly serviceable and welcomed.  Re-tooling the second unit would not be the worst thing for a Lakers bench that ranked 18th in total offense last season.  

Drop-off in Athleticism

This entire offseason, Laker fans have heard that their team needs to become younger and more athletic to compete with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks.  No one can argue that Shannon Brown was the most athletic player on the team last year. 

His athleticism allowed him to push the break and get out in transition, something Mike Brown intends to do more of with an "attack the clock" approach.  However, the Lakers aging personnel is not naturally suited for this task, and the absence of Shannon Brown will make this void even more noticeable.  Mike Brown may have to re-think this side of his offensive scheme without Brown running coast-to-coast.

On the other side of the ball, Brown's athleticism unfortunately did not translate into strong perimeter, on-the-ball defense.  All of last year, Brown was seen getting beat off the dribble and arriving late on defense.  Steve Blake certainly provides better defense than Brown did, and hopefully Steve can return to form after giving Laker fans an uninspiring performance last season.

Highlight Reel Dunks

Shannon Brown and his 44.5-inch vertical will definitely be missed by Laker fans.  Brown was good for at least one highlight reel dunk every other game, and the remaining dunkers on the roster have nothing close to Shannon's leaping ability.

Kobe Bryant still has the juice left to deliver emphatic dunks (see: Emeka Okafor), Lamar Odom can throw down some nasty jams on the break, and Andrew Bynum can certainly destroy the rim, but there was nothing sweeter than seeing Shannon fly through the air, gliding as his head became level with the rim, to jam one down in front of a raucous Staples Center crowd.

Shannon's explosive dunks made him a fan favorite.  Without Shannon, Lakers jersey sales will also see a noticeable decrease.  Not to worry, Lakers executives—the new No.15 Metta World Peace jerseys will more than make up for any loss in sales.  Ron Artest may not be able to dunk like Shannon—I'm pretty sure Ron can't even jump over a phone book—but Ron definitely knows a thing or two about marketing.  

The Future Without Shannon Brown

Shannon Brown is a good player.  Though inconsistent at times during the season, Shannon—a potential starter for many other NBA teams—was a solid role player for the Lakers.  Should he not return to the Lakers, his athletic ability will be missed.  But his shoes will not be difficult to fill, either.  

The Lakers' second unit will be forced to find a new identity and new playmakers without Brown, which I'd assume is all right by Laker fans considering the substandard performance of the second unit last season. 

Lakers management is best to let Shannon walk, get paid elsewhere, and keep their powder dry until its time to strike for that huge blockbuster deal.  Shannon deserves his money, and the Lakers deserve another superstar.