Sandro Mamukelashvili’s Creative Contract Could Benefit Lakers Next Year

Jan 21, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Toronto Raptors forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) high fives Head Coach Darko Rajakovic after coming out of the game during the second quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Jan 21, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Toronto Raptors forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) high fives Head Coach Darko Rajakovic after coming out of the game during the second quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Sandro Mamukelashvili’s Creative Contract Could Benefit Lakers Next Year

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Ron Gutterman | Last updated Jul 8, 2026 5:58 PM ET

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The Los Angeles Lakers were one of many teams tied to Toronto Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili in free agency, but it became clear early on that L.A. was the frontrunner, and it was only a matter of time before the two sides agreed to terms. Minutes after the trade that brought Walker Kessler to the team, Mamukelashvili flew off the board to the Lakers on a reported four-year, $52 million deal.

The stretch big was signed as an effective replacement for Rui Hachimura, and while he is a worse shooter than the former Lakers forward, he grades out as a better rebounder, cutter, defender and athlete than his predecessor. And now, the details of his four-year deal have been revealed:

As my buddy @KeithSmithNBA pointed out, the Lakers got a bit creative with Mamu's contract:

The dip next year could help them with their effort to stay far enough below the first apron to use the full NTMLE next summer. pic.twitter.com/NRf6ijhcOt

— Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane) July 8, 2026

The Lakers rarely execute deals with this kind of structure, but their significant cap space allowed them to organize it this way, and they did so with intention. The contract starts flat at $13 million, before dipping down to $12.35 million in Year 2. It then goes back up to $13 million and finishes on a player option worth $13.65 million to get to $52 million total.

The reason for this is financial flexibility in the summer of 2027. By structuring the deal this way, the Lakers make it more likely that they will have access to their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception next summer. Having around $16 million available to add one or two major free agents would be a game-changer for a Lakers team that does not otherwise have the assets to make massive improvements moving forward.

It’s too early to have exact numbers and available free agents for next summer, but the Lakers were right to structure a deal in such a way that they can create as much future financial flexibility as possible.

Lakers final roster spots viewed as critical for 2026-27 team

The Lakers are thinking ahead to the summer of 2027 with their structuring of Mamukelashvili’s deal. However, they are still very much focused on moves they need to make right now.

They view their final roster spot — and moves to open up more spots — as critical to building out the remainder of their 2026-27 team. They are still lacking a starting-caliber forward, as well as maybe another backup center and a backup wing.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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