The Los Angeles Lakers are already planning for the upcoming offseason and they are looking for creative ways to open up cap space to improve their team for a title defense.
News broke on Tuesday morning that the Lakers are looking to open up nearly $5 million in cap space by removing the salary they owe to former Laker Luol Deng off of their salary sheet. Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium reported the news on Tuesday, meaning Deng still gets the money he is owed by the Lakers but the Lakers will have an additional $5 million available to improve their roster heading into next season.
Sources: The Lakers have requested a career-ending injury application to have Luol Deng’s salary removed from team books. Deng agreed to buyout with Lakers in 2018, retired last October and is owed salary through 2022.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 20, 2020
The Lakers are expected to have a big summer ahead, with Anthony Davis likely opting-out of the final year of his contract and signing a new deal with the Lakers this offseason. Starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also has an opt-out clause that he plans to exercise as he is also looking to cash in on a longer-term deal following a great playoff run.
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