LA Lakers News Roundup: Patrick Beverley joins Purple and Gold, more details emerge on the franchise's cap space for next summer and more - August 25, 2022
Western Conference powerhouse the LA Lakers continue to be the box office attraction in the NBA. The 17-time champions are omnipresent on the airwaves given their stature in the league and their ability to attract top players.
Employing the likes of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook also leads to them being on the airwaves all the time. The former's future seems locked in with the franchise, while the latter's future is uncertain at the moment.
The LA Lakers will be keen to put on a good showing for their faithful fans after a horrendous showing during the 2021-22 NBA season. The franchise has already brought in a new head coach in Darvin Ham and has overhauled its roster to a large extent by going for youth and athleticism.
With that said, here's the latest LA Lakers News Roundup for August 25, 2022, brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Patrick Beverley on the verge of joining the LA Lakers
Former LA Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley is on the verge of joining the LA Lakers ahead of the upcoming season. This was reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic as the Utah Jazz are trading the defensive stalwart to the 17-time champions in exchange for Stanley Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Despite Beverley being associated with the Clippers for a couple of years, the Lakers are in desperate need of improvement defensively. It will also be interesting to see how he and Russell Westbrook get along as they haven't always seen eye to eye on things.
The Jazz are trading Patrick Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Lakers to be one of the three richest teams in the league by 2027
The LA Lakers are believed to be one of the three richest teams in the NBA by 2027 after a recent study by Onlinecasino.ca. The study reveals that the Lakers, alongside the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks, are set to become the three richest franchises in the NBA after taking into account their valuations and revenues.
The study reveals that the Lakers are currently valued at $ 5.5 billion as compared to their value in 2012 which was $1 billion. In 2027, the 17-time champions could be worth $7.9 billion. The value of the NBA is also predicted to be $115.9 billion in five years time.
Details on the LA Lakers' cap space for next summer
The LA Lakers have a massive summer in store for them in 2023 as there will be a lot of cap space available for the team. Russell Westbrook is set to become a free agent and unless there is a drastic improvement in his and the team's performances with him, he will not be re-signed by the franchise.
Westbrook is currently on a contract worth $47 million. With him off the books and LeBron James' new contract kicking in, the Lakers are set to have over $34 million in cap space. This has been helped by the franchise trading Talen Horton-Tucker to the Utah Jazz as Patrick Beverley is on an expiring contract.
Trade recap
To LAL: P. Beverley ($13M)
LAL opens up a roster spot and financial flexibility in 2023-24 (could have up to $34M in room)
To UTH: T. Horton-Tucker ($10.3M) and S. Johnson ($2.35M)
The Jazz create a $2.74M TE and have 15 guaranteed contracts.