Windhorst: Lakers Lack Flexibility and Picks for Star Deal
ESPN insider Brian Windhorst says Austin Reaves' $180m deal and traded first-round picks leave the Lakers unable to add a star if one asks to join.
The Lakers' front office has left itself little room to add to the roster, according to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst. The club gave Austin Reaves a $180m contract and traded away several first-round picks this offseason.
Windhorst said he understands the Reaves deal. "I understand why they gave Reaves a max contract. The club expected that some team would be ready to give Reaves the max. I think that was a reasonable concern. But now it will be hard for them to trade him if they want to. I am not saying nobody will want to take him. But I still think it will not be easy," he said.
He then described the position the Lakers would be in if a star wanted to join them. "Say player X tells them in 6 months: 'I want to be with the Lakers. I want to play with Luka.' But their roster is hard to call flexible. And they have no draft picks to make it easier," Windhorst said.
If that scenario arises, the Lakers would have to build any deal without Reaves' contract being easy to move and without first-round picks to offer.
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