Howard would test free agency even if traded to Lakers?

[B]

Wouldn't it give them around $3 million in cap room to start with? And they can still use the amnesty clause on a player, like Artest for $6.79M. They also have some expirers too, I think. Barnes, Ebanks, Murphy, Kapono, Caracter.

Yeah it's about 5+ million but that's with all the expires gone including Howard and zero cap hold included into the numbers. Realistically with the cap holds applied Lakers are over the cap with Howard contract off the books by a couple million.

They would have to use the amnesty clause to create any true cap space and even then are you going to get a difference maker that replaces what you lost in the Howard trade? They would have traded Bynum or Pau or most likely both for Howard who walked and all that's left over when the dust clears is using the amnesty clause to create 6 million in cap space?

[The Real JW]

**** it. This summer, the Lakers should:

Amnesty Kobe.
Trade Bynum to the Thunder for Harden, Ibaka, picks.
Trade Gasol for Sign and Traded Deron Williams.
Sign Dwight Howard outright.

Reload. Kill.

Yeah, man, if they got rid of Kobe's salary I think they could really assemble some big names. It'd be nice if they could somehow reduce Kobe's contract, with his consent, and still keep him on the team though.

[Droid101]

Or, trade Bynum and expirings for Dwight and long term contracts.

Once that happens, the Nets will be looking to trade Deron since he won't re-sign there without Dwight.

Gasol for Deron.

Reload. Kill.

[B]

Could they theoretically do this?

If the Lakers are $29.82M over the cap, they trade Pau and Bynum ($18.714M + $14.9M) for Dwight ($18M), amnesty Metta ($6.79M) and then lose Dwight in FA... wouldn't that put them around $10.584M under the cap?

Then if LA let's the following players expire: Barnes ($1.9M), Murphy ($0.854M), Kapono ($0.854M), Ebanks ($0.762M), Caracter ($0.762M), Morris ($0.473M)... for a total of $5.605M.

That would add up to $16.189M in cap space. Right?

Your numbers are real close to correct until you start subtracting Barnes and crowd. Lakers are at the 29.8 million dollars over the cap with their salaries already off the books next summer

So you had your truest numbers when you hit 10.5 million after the amnesty.

As a Laker fan I'm not real happy with losing Bynum and Pau to create 11 million in cap space. I'm pretty sure Kobe would have a problem with it too

[The Real JW]

[QUOTE=B

[Droid101]

I don't get why Luke still has a spot on their roster.

At the time when he signed the contract, it was pretty modest. He was leading all Small Forwards in assists other than LeBron James, and led the league for a while in 3 point shooting percentage the year before he signed his contract.

So, giving him 5 years, 20 million (first season starting at 3.something mil), seemed an okay deal. It's the end years of the contract that will (and are) bite them. Also, it'd help if he kept up that production!!

[Doctor Rivers]

Yeah, man, if they got rid of Kobe's salary I think they could really assemble some big names. It'd be nice if they could somehow reduce Kobe's contract, with his consent, and still keep him on the team though.

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