Lakers Rumors: Re-Signing Kendall Marshall Would Hurt L.A.’s Roster Balance

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a strange position this summer. They have been forced to nickel-and-dime players in order to comply with the byzantine rules regarding the league's salary cap. Point guard and fan-favorite Kendall Marshall was a roster casualty of these necessary maneuvers.

The Lakers officially waived Marshall on Friday to clear up the smidgen of salary-cap space needed to make a few other roster moves. The franchise's official Twitter account confirmed the news:



As Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski noted on Twitter, the Lakers could be looking to bring back Marshall if he clears waivers:



With the Lakers making moves for the likes of Jeremy Lin and holding onto Steve Nash, re-signing Marshall would leave the team with a wealth of point guards who offer similar capabilities and deficiencies.



The Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus gave an excellent summary of the financial gymnastics routine that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak had to perform in order to make all the numbers work for the salary cap. Pincus explains his take on Marshall as a salary-cap expendable:

The Lakers' salary and holds total $58.6 million, leaving $4.5 million in space below the $63.1-million salary cap -- enough to sign Young to a four-year $19.3-million contract. That's still not quite the $21.5 million as promised.  That space would increase if Kelly's qualifying offer were revoked, or if he leaves for another team. Marshall was a casualty of the math, opening up an additional $407,907 in space to help the Lakers bring back Young.

Marshall was due to make approximately $915,000 in 2014-15, per Spotrac. He averaged 8.0 points and 8.8 assists per game last season while shooting 39.9 percent from beyond three-point range. These are admirable numbers, but the Lakers can account for these traits with the players already in the fold.

Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers