For a while now, veritable journeymen have been enticed by would-be contenders to accept cap-friendly terms that come with player options on the back end. It’s how the Lakers, for instance, managed to latch on to such notables as Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes last season. It’s a gamble for both sides, to be sure. Should the free agent pickups manage to give a good accounting of themselves, they will most likely bolt, thereby leaving their immediate past employers with roster holes in a tighter market. Should they prove less than advertised, they are bound to exercise the options, thereby compelling their benefactors to retain them with reluctance.
Going back to the Lakers, there’s no doubt that the free agency instrument they dangled with much fanfare last year has come back to handicap them this time around. Wood, Reddish, and Hayes all decided to stay, mindful that prohibitive luxury tax provisions under the new collective bargaining agreement severely narrowed their possibilities for bigger paydays. Their return then left the purple and gold with little wiggle room to negotiate for such desired targets as Klay Thompson and Jonas Valanciunas.
Interestingly, the double-edged player option is also staring the Clippers in the face. Officially, Westbrook is back in the fold for what seems like a bargain at $4 million. Out of the spotlight, however, both parties cannot wait to get divorced. In part, it’s because owner Steve Ballmer has taken pains not to add to his salary burden; heck, he even let Paul George go for nothing, never mind that they gave up a whopping five first round picks, two pick swaps, AND — here’s the clincher — Most Valuable Player runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just to get him half a decade ago. In larger measure, it’s because the 2017 MVP awardee no longer seems to deserve a spot with the blue and red.
At this point, Westbrook is akin to a mirage — boasting of an unrelenting competitiveness even at 35, but also coming with tons of excess baggage. For all his dwindling skills, he has refused to change his game; it’s literally his way or the highway. Not for nothing, for instance, did he have the worst true shooting percentage of all those who competed in the 2024 Playoffs. True, he still has a market because of his name, which is why the Nuggets seem bent on getting him. On the other hand, the evident incongruence between his diminished capacity and inflated view of himself makes him a liability on and off the court.
In any case, both the Lakers and the Clippers have been dinged by player options. As a result, they’re left to make the best of what they have. Then again, it’s fair to argue that, after having rolled the dice, they’re getting exactly what they deserve.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
