The summer of 2018 can’t come soon enough for the Los Angeles Lakers. And they’ve been preparing for what could be a franchise-altering offseason ever since president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka took over in February.
And while it’s clear the Lakers are preparing to offer LeBron James the keys to the Tinseltown kingdom, as well as superstar Paul George, they must clear salary cap space first.
L.A. would like to have enough money to offer max contracts to James and George next summer, and while they cleared some space when they dumped Timofey Mozgov on the Brooklyn Nets, they still will need to shed some money to sign two max players next offseason.
And Jordan Clarkson reportedly could be the next Laker to be shipped out of town, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
“One person within the organization who isn’t permitted to speak publicly on the subject told Bleacher Report the team is confident it can move Clarkson if needed to open space,” Pincus wrote.
The Lakers would love to move Luol Deng, who they signed to a four-year, $72 million contract during the 2016 offseason, but that would cost them dearly in either prospects or draft picks.
If L.A. can move Deng, it could have enough money to sign two big-name free agents and keep Clarkson, as well as forward Julius Randle.
Clarkson is one of the Lakers’ best offensive weapons and would be a nice bench piece for a team that hopes to pair Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram with James and George.
One thing is for certain, the 2018 offseason could make or break the Lakers franchise.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
