Lakers GM’s moves last summer doomed this year’s roster

The Lakers are over the second tax apron after signing LeBron and Bronny James, plus 2022 second-round pick Max Christie. Why does a team that finished eighth in the Western Conference have such a bloated payroll? It’s a storm of ill-advised player options.

Pelinka, the Lakers GM, gave player options to D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood last summer. Three of those players had disappointing seasons in 2023-24, and Russell was up-and-down, with his low point coming when he went scoreless in the Lakers’ Game 3 playoff loss to the Nuggets.

But now, the Lakers are locked into all four, costing them valuable salary space, and worse, roster space. Three of the team’s 15 roster spots are held by players they likely wouldn’t have brought back. Not to mention that another roster spot is going to 19-year-old Bronny James, a player who averaged 4.8 points in college.

It’s possible the Lakers believe they can still use these contracts in trades, but even at the time, it made no sense to give Reddish or Hayes a player option. Meanwhile, they’ve lost Taurean Prince, who was far from a fan-favorite but averaged 27 minutes in 78 games.

Pelinka tried to go all-in for 2023-24, and now, the Lakers are all out of money and roster space for 2024-25.