Los Angeles Lakers: Top 5 highest-paid players
The NBA is one of the most cash-rich sports leagues in the world. Its top earners are some of the highest-paid athletes on the planet. As many as 20 basketball players in the NBA took home a paycheck worth over 30 million dollars in the 2019-20 season. In this article, we will take a look at Los Angeles Lakers Top-5 ighest-paid players
The Los Angeles Lakers pay the 17th-largest salary among the 30 teams in the NBA - shelling out over 125 million dollars on their players this season.
The LA Lakers have 21 players on their payroll, with 15 of them a part of their active roster, and 5 players who have been traded or released, yet count against the total cap, including DeMarcus Cousins. The other remaining player is Avery Bradley, who opted out of the NBA bubble in Orlando.
Two players in the LA Lakers squad are on maximum contracts, which means that the franchise had to work hard to create a formidable squad with limited cap space to work with.
Now, let us take a look at Los Angeles Lakers top 5 highest-paid players
#5 Avery Bradley - $4.7 million
Technically speaking, it's actually former Chicago Bulls forward and All-Star Luol Deng who takes up the 5th most cap space of the LA Lakers with $5 million to his name, but the 35-year-old has now retired from the professional game and is no longer a part of the NBA.
As a result, it's 6'3" guard Avery Bradley who begins this list. The 29-year-old Bradley was signed on a free by the LA Lakers on a two-year contract. Bradley averaged over 8 points a game with good defense this season but has opted out of the NBA bubble owing to potential health issues concerning his son.
#4 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - $8.1 million
The longest-serving player of the LA Lakers among their current squad, 27-year-old Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is playing on a two-year deal, the second of which is a player-option he will most likely accept. The shooting guard started his Lakers career as a starter but has now been demoted to a role player.
Owing to Avery Bradley's absence from the NBA bubble, Pope has returned to the starting line-up. He has scored around 9 points per game this season but has gone on cold stretches from the 3-point range. The LA Lakers will expect him to find some consistency down the stretch.
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#3 Danny Green - $15.4 million
Two-time NBA champion and one of the most reputed 3-and-D players in the league, 33-year-old shooting guard Danny Green is the LA Lakers' third-highest earner. Green's services for the season will get him a hefty paycheck of over $15 million. The former San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors player is known to have a very reliable jump shot from outside the arc but has struggled to maintain a good shooting rhythm this season.
Green shot an incredible 45.5% from downtown last season with the Raptors, which helped them win their first-ever NBA title. However, that figure has dropped significantly to a paltry 36.7% with the LA Lakers this season. Green brings a Championship mentality to the squad that very few other players can but he quickly needs to regain his usual lethality from distance.
#2 Anthony Davis - $27 million
One of the best players in the NBA, 27-year-old big-man Anthony Davis warrants a massive $27 million in salary for his superstar-level performances on a nightly basis. Davis made his 7th All-Star appearance this year as he averaged 26 points on 50% efficiency.
Davis is extremely crucial to the LA Lakers' chances of winning a championship this season as his dominating performances are very often the difference between a win and a loss for Frank Vogel's men.
His contract expires at the end of the season, when he would be free to exercise a player-option to re-sign with the LA Lakers or perhaps test his luck in free agency. The fans of the 'Lake Show' will hope he continues to represent them beyond the ongoing season.
#1 LeBron James - $37.4 million
It is no surprise to see one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball as the top-earner in the LA Lakers squad. LeBron James is easily the best player of his generation and has a fair shot at being the best to ever do it as well. He has always been one of the best-paid players in the NBA for a while now.
With that being said, he's only the 6th highest-paid player in the entire NBA, behind five guards including Stephen Curry and James Harden. LeBron James' contract has two more seasons on it, the last of which will see him break the $40-million barrier. James' qualities need no new introduction, and the 35-year-old will give it all he has in order to win his 4th ring since he entered the NBA in 2003.
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