Grading Lakers' Early Moves in NBA Free Agency
The 2024 NBA offseason has been an eventful one for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even if free agency has been a bit quiet.
The Lakers have made a coaching change, a pair of draft picks and a lot of buzz on the rumor mill. They've even made just enough noise on the free agent front that we can hand out a few letter grades for their early activity.
Getting a Commitment from LeBron James
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LeBron James has reportedly committed to returning to Los Angeles, agreeing to a two-year, $104 million contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
James could even consider leaving some money on the table to help improve this supporting cast. Wojnarowski reported James' agent Rich Paul is in talks with the Lakers to take "$1 million or so" below the max to keep the team below the second apron and open up roster flexibility.
Honestly, though, whatever money—if any—James sacrificed wouldn't change this grade. Even without knowing the terms of his next agreement, it's a home run for Hollywood that the King is headed nowhere.
Grade: A+
Giving Guaranteed Money to Bronny James
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While players taken in the first round have fully guaranteed contracts coming their way, second-round picks are afforded no such certainty. Well, not unless the team that drafts them extends that courtesy.
And the Lakers are doing exactly that with Bronny James, LeBron's son and the No. 55 pick in last month's draft. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, James will sign a multiyear, guaranteed deal with the Lakers.
On the surface, that feels like a sizable investment in a player who played an incredibly quiet year at USC (4.8 points and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per contest). Dig a little deeper, though, and there's some business savvy behind the strategy.
"Most late draft picks end up on two-ways. For tax teams, however, rostering a late pick makes a lot of sense..." The Athletic's John Hollinger noted. "Having their 14th roster spot committed to a player making the rookie minimum minimizes the Lakers' luxury tax penalty, and gives them roughly a million dollars in extra wiggle room below the first apron, should that become an issue at any point this offseason."
This feels like a sound bit of business, even if James may not have fetched a similar agreement from many other teams.
Grade: C+
Re-Signing Max Christie to Four-year, $32 Million Deal
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Bringing Max Christie back from restricted free agency always felt like the move to make.
The only question was the contract, and this feels reasonable for what Christie has shown to this point and what the future may still hold for the 21-year-old (who's almost two years younger than Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht).
While there's only so much to extrapolate from a sample this small (1,456 minutes over 108 outings), he seems capable of filling a rather significant three-and-D support role sooner than later. And if his flashes of ball-handling ever materialize into more, this could register as a bargain.
This pay rate is more reflective on Christie's potential than production, but that's a reasonable way to handle a player this age. The Lakers are banking on his growth and on their coaching staff's ability to bring out his best. That's a wager worth making.
Grade: B+
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