The Los Angeles Lakers are ready to make one final move in NBA free agency, and Rob Pelinka is making a unique pitch to lure players.
The Lakers have completely overhauled their roster in the offseason, moving on from every player except Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
And after signing a plethora of new players, the Lakers have one open roster spot, and a unique approach to land their final star.
LA Lakers eyeing Jonathan Kuminga for final roster spot
According to ESPN insider Dave McMenamin, the Los Angeles Lakers are not planning to keep their final roster spot open for future flexibility.
As things stand, the Lakers are hoping to land Jonathan Kuminga, despite not having the money to offer him without having to trade a few other pieces to make room in the salary cap.
“There’s one empty roster spot remaining. Sometimes a team will have 14 guys on the roster and it’s like, ‘Ah, we’re going to keep that spot open to give us some optionality towards the trade deadline. We could do a two-for-one deal, or we could pick up someone from the buyout market.’
“That’s not the case for the Lakers. They view this final spot as a very important piece to their potential puzzle.
“One guy they’re talking to… Jonathan Kuminga. Right now, they’re without a team. Atlanta turned down their team option for $24 million for him this year. The Lakers currently don’t have anywhere close to that to offer him.
“They’ll have to do some manoeuvring, perhaps do a trade, a few second-round picks that they got from Washington in the Ayton deal or attach someone like a Dalton Knecht or a Jarred Vanderbilt to free up some cap space to give him a better offer than the veteran minimum.
LA Lakers want players to use their ‘biggest stage’ for future contracts
Speaking further on ESPN, McMenamin revealed that the LA Lakers are trying to pitch players to take a pay cut, perform well, and pave the way for a bigger contract like Malik Monk did years ago.
“They’re trying to pitch an opportunity. You will come here, you’ll play on the biggest stage in basketball, and you may have to take a pay cut for a year or two, but you can get back into the big dollars. Malik Monk did that years ago for the Lakers, he’s made close to $100 million in NBA contracts since.”
The Los Angeles Lakers could lure players with the opportunity to play with Luka and improve their value after a short-term stint with the side.
Whether or not this strategy will work remains to be seen especially after offering the kind of money they did to their other signings.
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