The Los Angeles Lakers got a grip on the losing season, and they are now in a good spot for the playoffs. However, the next season might bring some troubles for them as new collective bargaining agreement rules are out. There are rumours that according to the new CBA regulations, the team will have to let go of some of its current players. Although the Lakers will be on to drawing solutions, it is always bad news to let in-form players go.
Clearly, the Lakers have landed in a pickle, and it seems their future plans might get disrupted.
What Will Be The Impact Of The New CBA Rules On The Lakers
The Lakers fans are currently enjoying one of the best storyline seasons of their team. They were hitting rock bottom when the season started, and now they are giving the best teams their run for their money. The turnaround is nothing short of an amazing movie plot. However, while the fans enjoy that, the front office will ponder upon upcoming seasons. And this planning will be altered as there are multiple changes to the luxury tax structure as well. Although LA is considered one of the teams who pay hefty money in taxes, they will have to come out with a new strategy now.
“The league is implementing a second salary cap apron — $17.5 million over the tax line — and those teams will lose several key team building mechanisms, including the taxpayer mid-level exception, utilizing cash in trades, moving first-round picks in drafts that are seven years away, signing free agent players in the buyout market and taking on more money than is being sent out in trades, sources said.”
– ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski
As of now, the front office is distributing the salaries among the players worth $128 million. Moreover, they are also left with a luxury tax space of $39 million to spend on the new contracts. But when one looks at the kind of players the Lakers want to sign, it becomes a problem. After counting on the arrangements of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, the team will not be able to limit their expenses. Therefore a quick renewal in strategy is required to fix the next season.
The Los Angeles Squad Are Still Not A Title Contender
The Purple and Gold brigade has done everything in its power to make it to the postseason. And still, some NBA fans believe that they do not have the pedigree to become title contenders. With only a handful of games left for the season to commence and they are in the 7th position in the Western Conference. And according to this position, they will have to win in the Play-In tournament to appear in the playoffs.
The Lakers were drowning only a month ago, and now they are thriving, unlike any team in the league. It is all thanks to the superstar duo LeBron James and Anthony James for their blockbuster performance. But fans still question their ability to win even after seeing how LeBron and Anthony perform. From here on, only time will tell what the future holds for the duo and the whole team.