Indeed, the Purple and Gold have multiple important decisions to make. Addressing them promptly will decide the future of the franchise and also determine their ability to contend for a championship in the short-term.
Make no mistake, every move the Lakers make in the 2013 summer will be with an eye on building a contender as well as trimming payroll.
Per Hoopshype, they project to have one of the biggest team salaries in the league and should in effect exceed the luxury tax level despite only having eight players under contract going into next season.
That’s problematic.
Teams must pay a penalty for every dollar their team salary exceeds the tax level. In addition, for every season a franchise spends in luxury tax territory, the amount they must pay increases for consistently exceeding the limit.
Larry Coon did a great job of breaking this down in his NBA Salary Cap FAQ. Thus, the Lakers will be forced to do something they’ve never done before: build a title team on the cheap.
Here are the questions they must answer before diving into the construction of a championship roster.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
