Will the Lakers’ coach get a contract extension? It’s more up to him than the organization, and he is pondering it during his summer retreat in Montana.ģ. Will he or won’t he be back? The Lakers don’t plan on trading him, but he has yet to formally say he’ll return.Ģ. Three issues the Lakers need to resolve before training camp begins Oct. “I’m looking forward to helping this team, and to get back into the playoffs and eventually into the championship, and try to bring some more championships back to Los Angeles, where the trophies TEXT OF INFOBOX)
“This is where I wanted to be when the whole free-agency thing started,” Walton said. Walton, 27, averaged career highs of 11.4 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists a game last season. He averaged 13.4 points in the 2001 playoffs as the Lakers won the second of three consecutive titles, and he made his unforgettable “0.4” shot as time wound down in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio.įorward Luke Walton officially signed a six-year, $30-million contract Thursday to stay with the Lakers, who could not make a formal announcement until the end of the 10-day free-agent moratorium period. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 assists and 21.6 minutes that season.įisher is expected to be a mentor to the Lakers’ ballhandling guards, who are as young as any in the league.įisher was in the playoffs all eight years with the Lakers, with some memorable moments to boot. He was traded to Utah before last season and started 61 games, averaging 10.1 points, 3.3 assists and 27.9 minutes, higher numbers than those during the 2003-04 season, his last with the Lakers. I just want what’s best for him.”įisher left the Lakers three years ago after signing a six-year, $37-million free-agent contract with Golden State. “Obviously, he’s got to look after his family. “It’s a very tough predicament for him to be in,” Bryant said. Unless another team claims him off waivers, Fisher will end up taking a significant pay cut. “I’m just not going to go there.”īryant, a friend of Fisher’s in happier days with the Lakers, spoke warmly of his former backcourt mate in broader terms.įisher asked out of his contract with the Jazz two weeks ago to move to a city with more appropriate medical care for his 1-year-old daughter, Tatum, who has a rare form of eye cancer. “I’m not getting into my situation,” Bryant said Wednesday at a Nike promotional event. Obviously familiar with the triangle offense, Fisher probably steps right into the Lakers’ starting lineup.Ī franchise favorite in his first tour with the Lakers because of his activity in the community and his diplomacy in the locker room, Fisher had the ear of Coach Phil Jackson and, of equal importance these days, Kobe Bryant.īryant would not reveal if Fisher’s arrival would guarantee his return to the Lakers. Undrafted Boise State guard Coby Karl has played well for the Lakers’ summer-league team in Las Vegas.įisher, who turns 33 next month, fills numerous needs for the Lakers, who have been seeking a veteran ballhandling guard since the Smush Parker experiment failed. Second-round pick Marc Gasol of Spain will play in Europe next season, but Kupchak was impressed by the team’s other second-round pick, Sun Yue, who has played for Team China this week at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Kupchak said last month the Lakers would try to limit next season’s roster to 14 players, one below the NBA maximum, although he said Thursday that “you have to be flexible.” Only five teams paid the tax last season - New York ($45.1 million), Dallas ($7.2 million), Denver ($2 million), Minnesota ($998,536) and San Antonio ($196,082).
Teams are charged a dollar in luxury taxes for every dollar they are over the threshold. Right now, we’re not in that position, but we’re getting close.”įisher would increase the Lakers’ roster to 13 players and move their payroll close to the luxury-tax threshold of $67.87 million. “Having said that, without naming players that are out there, when we have additional information and we have an announcement, we’ll make that announcement. “Not a slight to Jordan and our drafted rookie, who’s just 19 years old, but at 19 and 20 years old with limited NBA experience, we’re not going to think that they’re going to be the ones that can lead the team next year. “That position has been something that we identified as an area where we felt we needed to improve,” Kupchak said.
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