Some may take this opportunity to blame Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, Anthony Davis and LeBron James. But according to a reliable NBA source, the subject of Anthony Davis’ trade bonus and its affect on the Lakers cap space remains firmly in the court of the Los Angeles Lakers front office.
Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck did his important work on the Davis trade, including how people in the NBA feel about the designation the Lakers have gained amongst bettors for the NBA’s championship favorite next season. But while that skepticism may be well-founded, it’s not exactly news among smart basketball folks.
What is news however is the nugget of news Beck provided in that above report, that the Lakers never even asked Davis or his representation about potentially waiving part of his trade bonus. In NBA parlance, it’s known as a trade ‘kicker.’ By waiving all or part of the kicker, Davis could help the Lakers open up more cap space to pursue free agents.
Those figures are also affected by Davis’ so-called trade kicker of $4.1 million. The Lakers could have asked Davis to waive the kicker as part of the deal. Per league sources, they never broached it.
The Lakers nailed the meat and potatoes of the Anthony Davis deal, but it remains increasingly clear that the details escaped the Lakers front office. They never brought up the trade kicker, a practice that happens fairly often when disgruntled players end up on the team they want to be on.
For instance, Allen Crabbe waived his 15% trade kicker when he was traded from Portland to Brooklyn in 2017. But it appears that the Lakers never even though to ask, which could be a costly maneuver down the road.
