Lakers can go to market
- From: "Alson Wong" <rasvp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 21:51:46 -0700
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers30jun30,0,3362960.story?coll=la-home-sports&vote30823264=1
From the Los Angeles TimesNBA
Lakers can go to market
With free-agent period opening, they can use mid-level exception. Walton and
Mihm would like to stay, but they will look at other offers.
By Mike Bresnahan
Times Staff Writer
June 30, 2007
The Lakers can breathe easier. They are no longer paying Brian Grant.
His contract finally expires tonight, but so does the one belonging to Luke
Walton, who will be thrust into the open market at 9:01 p.m. while ushering
in another phase of the Lakers' off-season - and more questions - with the
beginning of the free-agency period.
Will the Lakers retain Walton by perhaps tripling the $1.4 million he made
last season? They hope so.
Will they re-sign Chris Mihm at a substantial pay cut? It's a wait-and-see.
Whom will they sign with their mid-level exception? Denver point guard Steve
Blake, Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams, Orlando forward Grant Hill and
Miami sharpshooter Jason Kapono are all possibilities.
Although the Lakers just drafted a young point guard for a second
consecutive season, they're in the market for one with more experience than
Javaris Crittenton, who played one season at Georgia Tech.
"I think that remains a position we need to pursue," General Manager Mitch
Kupchak said Friday. "Jordan Farmar may end up being that player, but we do
feel that another player in the backcourt, a veteran player, would be a good
fit."
Other than trades, the mid-level exception will be the main free-agent tool
at the Lakers' disposal. The exception, given annually to teams over the
salary cap, was used last season on a five-year, $30.2 million deal for
Vladimir Radmanovic.
The exception can be broken into pieces and used on more than one player.
"There's a long summer ahead of us - July, August, and September - and
there's a lot of things that can be done," Coach Phil Jackson said. "We're
going to try to do what we have to do to replenish the amount of talent.
It's not just talent, it's about players who can play their way through a
season."
Blake, 27, was traded early last season from Milwaukee to Denver and
averaged 6.4 points and five assists in the Nuggets' high-scoring offense.
Steady but not flashy, he could run the triangle offense with quiet
efficiency.
Williams, 24, will have many teams chasing him after averaging 17.3 points
and 6.1 assists for Milwaukee. At 6 feet 1, he is two inches shorter than
Blake and there are questions about his durability.
Kapono, 26, has long had an interest in playing for the Lakers. The former
UCLA standout averaged a career-high 10.9 points and made a league-best
51.4% from three-point range last season for Miami.
Hill, 34, had a solid season for Orlando, averaging 14.4 points and 30.9
minutes, but he has had trouble staying on the court in recent seasons
because of a variety of injuries. He played 65 games last season.
The Lakers will also take a long look at re-signing two of their own free
agents with moves that won't require using the exception.
They are very interested in retaining Walton, the consummate triangle type
who averaged career-high averages of 11.4 points, five rebounds and 4.3
assists last season. They have the right to re-sign him for up to six years,
with his first-year salary starting at $12 million, but $4 million to $5
million a year is obviously a more plausible swing zone.
"We like Luke," Kupchak said. "We'd like to bring him back in the fold and
we plan to talk to him about it as soon as the rules allow us to do so."
Walton, 27, was expected to receive varying degrees of interest from 10 to
12 teams.
"The Lakers are definitely at the top of the list, but at the same time, I'm
going to talk to other teams and go meet with them and see what it's like in
other cities," Walton said. "I at least have to do that."
Mihm, 27, won't receive as many calls for obvious reasons. He sat out last
season after undergoing reconstructive ankle surgery and was expected to
take a significant cut from the $4.2 million he made last season.
He has been working out with Andrew Bynum at the Lakers' training facility
and says his right ankle feels strong, but he understands the questions on
the minds of other teams, including the Lakers.
"I'm sure there's going to be some teams that are OK with it and are going
to bring offers to the table," he said. "Others want to see me come in and
see me run, jump, and the whole deal. It's going to be a process. I know the
Lakers and I would both like to make something work here."
Mihm was averaging a career-best 10.2 points before getting injured toward
the end of the 2005-06 season.
mike.bresnahan@xxxxxxxxxxx
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