Los Angeles Lakers Sign Pau Gasol To 3 Year Extension

[key2win]

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Pau Gasol to 3 year extension. The deal could be worth as much as $60 million depending on the salary cap.

I am very happy that Jerry Buss doesnt care about the luxury tax bill and will pay it if it means keeping and improving the team. In 2 years, Kobe and Gasol will combine to make $50 million total, which at that point who knows what the salary cap is. The core of the Lakers team will be together for the next 4 years.

[JesRey]

W00t W00t very exciting stuff. Now it's time to lock up Black Mamba

[key2win]

We all know Kobe will sign and will never leave.

[gladdyontherise]

Isnt the cap at like 63 or 64 right now? lol, that'll be alot on the luxury tax once you add Odoms contract and Bynums contract in there lol

[key2win]

The salary cap for this season is $58 million. The luxury tax threshold is after $70 million, so anything after that amount you match it dollar for dollar. It is suppose to go up every season, but it went down this past summer.

So the Lakers team salary is at $91 million. So at the end of the season if they still have that same cap number, they pay $21 in luxury tax to the league.

Simple solution, they have to pay Adam Morrison $5.3 million this season no matter what. I think the Lakers will do what they did last season with Chris Mihm. Come February, they will owe about $2.65 million to Morrison. They will trade him to a team that is under the salary cap (Oklahoma City), and give them $3 million. Thunder gets Morrison for free for 2 months and pockets the extra $350K. Lakers save $5 million in luxury tax since Morrison is not on the team at the end of the season.

[key2win]

I still think the Lakers will find a way to trade either Luke Walton or Sasha Vujacic by trade deadline. Now with Gasol out of the way, I think Kobe will sign his extension by mid January.