The Lakers have ensured that a pair of their players will be restricted free agents this summer, announcing in a press release that they’ve issued qualifying offers to guard Alex Caruso and forward Johnathan Williams. Both players finished the 2018/19 season on two-way deals.
Caruso, 25, has been with the Lakers on a two-way contract since the start of the 2017/18 season. In 2018/19, he appeared in 25 games for the club, primarily after the All-Star break, recording 9.2 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.7 RPG, and a .445/.480/.797 shooting line in 21.2 minutes per contest.
Because he has spent two seasons with the Lakers on a two-way deal, Caruso’s qualifying offer will be worth the veteran’s minimum (about $1.6MM). The two-way salary portion of that QO must be guaranteed.
As for Williams, the 24-year-old averaged 6.5 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 24 contests (15.5 MPG) for the Lakers last season. His qualifying offer will be a one-year, two-way contract, with a $50K guarantee.
Cap holds for Caruso and Williams will slightly cut into the Lakers’ projected cap room, but if the team needs that space, it won’t hesitate to renounce the duo. If they’re interested, they could each agree to return on new minimum-salary (Caruso) or two-way (Williams) contracts, and could finalize those deals once the Lakers use up their cap room.
CBAFAQ lists the cap hold requirements of two-way players as being equal to a one-year player’s minimum cap hold. So does that change based on each players’ year experience?
I don’t believe so. Caruso is an exception because he’s not receiving a two-way qualifying offer.
The Lakers might be a good deal for min wage type players since there’s not much left in the way of “medium-wage players” to take their PT. Good metrics for these two.
Yeah that’s how their salary cap situation is set up to be, everyone has been talking that
The FO of this once proud franchise is a grease fire.
Sometimes guys like caruso and Williams is all you need. Look at the raptors. One of their best players was a undrafted player in vanvleet
Love Caruso. Glad he will be sticking around.