Los Angeles Lakers: How Much Will Markieff Morris Earn & Why JaVale McGee’s Trade Was So Critical

The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the busiest teams in this off-season. They have multiple veterans like Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard, who are looking to part ways with them.

They have also signed multiple players like Dennis Schroder from the OKC Thunder, Montrezl Harrell as a free agent, and Wesley Matthews as a free agent.

While multiple veterans have left the team, the Lakers have successfully re-signed some of them. Sharpshooter Markieff Morris confirmed via Twitter that he is staying with the ‘Purple and Gold’.

Morris reportedly has signed a veteran minimum deal. Given his experience of 9 years in the NBA, Morris will earn around $2.33 million for the 2020-21 season.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the details of the move. He tweeted,

In addition to Morris’ re-signing come that of Kentavious Caldwell Pope, the signing of free-agent center Marc Gasol and the trade of center JaVale McGee to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Why trading JaVale McGee was necessary for the Lakers?

JaVale McGee was a great center and a defender for the Lakers. His contributions on the court have been commendable. McGee recently opted into the final year of his contract for $4.2 million.

The Lakers saw many veterans leaving the team to join some other teams. This meant that multiple spots on the roster were rendered empty.

With McGee, the Lakers had 8 players on the table. With a player like Marc Gasol available, Rob Pelinka and the champions figured out that Gasol might be an impressive addition.

They also had to fill the roster. McGee’s trade was the answer. JaVale along with a future 2nd round pick was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell.

Both the players have non-guaranteed contracts. The Lakers would have to guarantee a part of the salary to confirm these players’ spot on the roster.

The McGee trade cleared up money for the Gasol signing. Gasol signed on a 2-year veteran exception deal worth $2.56 million per year. As per the veteran exception deal, the NBA covers the extra salary of a veteran ($1 million) for the first year of the deal.

As Gasol signed the deal for two years, the Lakers had to arrange the money to cover Gasol’s 2nd year. ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained this in his tweet.

By trading McGee, the Lakers have filled 2 extra roster spots and also brought in a center who is a threat from the perimeter and is also a great defender.

The Lakers might have lost multiple veterans but have added multiple quality players to the roster. The veterans like Gasol and Morris are also ready to have minimum salary to play with the champions. The Los Angeles Lakers at this point look well on their way to a repeat.