:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67821611/1193183378.0.jpg)
Thursday was the deadline for players and teams to exercise their options for the upcoming regular season, and the day produced some interesting outcomes for the Lakers.
On the Silver Screen and Roll podcast, Harrison Faigen and Sabreena Merchant discuss Rob Pelinka’s comments about free agency in his media availability, as well as the subsequent decisions made by the team and the players. They begin with an ode to Quinn Cook, who was waived by the Lakers after his first season with the team. They then tried to analyze what the front office was hoping to accomplish by not guaranteeing his contract, and discuss what it says about the team’s trade prospects going forward.
That leads into a conversation about the next big decision of the day, JaVale McGee electing to opt in to the second year of his deal. This action was a lot easier for Harrison and Sabreena to understand, and they talk about why this is probably a good outcome for the Lakers based on what McGee has proven as a regular-season contributor.
After McGee, the two of them moved on to the final option decision, Avery Bradley choosing not to pick up his $5 million option for 2020-21. Once again, your hosts have some questions. They get into what Bradley might be thinking financially, how his relationship with the team might have changed after not being a part of the bubble, what he expects his role to be on the Lakers should he stay, and what other factors Bradley may be considering with his choice to enter free agency.
They conclude with a discussion of Kyle Kuzma’s potential extension as well as some of their preferred free agency targets. Tune in to hear who those are before the flurry begins Friday at 3:00 p.m. PT.
You can listen to the entire episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you never miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.
You can follow your hosts on Twitter at @hmfaigen and @sabreenajm.