The Los Angeles Lakers head into the offseason as NBA champions with many decisions to make about their roster moving forward.
It appears that two of the team’s veteran players could make things easy on the franchise, with JaVale McGee and Avery Bradley expected to be opting in for next season.
“Bradley and McGee are probably opting-in, whether the Lakers want them to or not,” wrote Sam Quinn. “Bradley’s bubble absence and McGee’s bubble irrelevance makes it highly unlikely that either would get a raise on the market. Their returns take us down to around $15 million to work with. Cook is not guaranteed, but keeping him around as trade fodder makes more sense than eating $1 million in dead salary. Caldwell-Pope and Rondo are reportedly opting out, and both have earned raises. This is where things get tricky.”
Both Bradley and McGee played pivotal roles for the Lakers during the regular season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Bradley showed he can still be an elite defender in the backcourt and stretch the floor offensively with his shooting while McGee proved to be a force in the paint.
However, neither player made much of an impact in the playoffs for Los Angeles. Bradley chose not to join the Lakers in the NBA bubble due to his family’s health concerns, and McGee eventually fell out of the rotation entirely as the postseason progressed.
There’s bound to be a lot of movement this offseason with the Lakers trying to remain a contender, and keeping both of these savvy veterans could help. Still, it’ll be interesting to see if the front office has other plans to involve them in trade scenarios.
