The Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make with Mo Bamba, betting on his potential or clearing cap space to pursue a more sure thing.
Mo Bamba was recently seen working out at the Lakers training facility, ahead of the June 29 deadline for them to decide whether to guarantee his contract this season or cut him.
In his half of a season with the Lakers, Mo Bamba faced injuries and DNPs. He was acquired by trading Patrick Beverley and second-round picks to the Magic. The deal ended up being combined into a four-team deal but it didn't pay the dividends that some of the Lakers' other mid-season deals did.
Bamba currently is on the books for $10 million next season. He can get released before June 28 and the cap hit would be zero for the Lakers. In the limited spots where Bamba got actual backup center minutes, he was solid and very playable. He wasn't a huge positive by any means but he certainly held his own.
At the very least, Bamba can be used as salary filler. With that in mind, it could be safe to assume that the Lakers will keep him. This is a team that has limited assets. Having two expiring contracts worth over $20 million overall could definitely be a huge benefit for a team who doesn't have a lot of tradable draft picks and he could be packaged in a later deal if he's not making an impact on the court.
The Lakers should stock up on all of the expiring contracts they can in order to keep their options open, both this offseason and looking ahead to the trade deadline next year.
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