Getty Avery Bradley, Lakers
At the time of the suspension of the NBA season, guard Avery Bradley was in the midst of his best stretch as a Laker. He had been hampered for the first part of the year by a hairline fracture in his leg that caused him to miss 13 games but had found his rhythm in late January.
In an 18-game stretch from January 25 through the start of the season’s hiatus, Bradley averaged 10.7 points in 26.1 minutes, making 45.2% of his 3-pointers (he attempted 5.2 per game). The highlight was the 24 points on 6-for-12 3-ppint shooting that Bradley logged against the Clippers in the Lakers’ final win of the year (for now).
That was the Bradley the Lakers hoped they were getting when they signed him to a two-year deal last summer—a defensive stopper on the perimeter who could knock down open shots.
It also marked Bradley’s rejuvenation, something that could have carried into this offseason because the second year of his two-year contract is a player option worth about $5 million. The better Bradley played, the more likely it was that he would opt out and seek to cash in on a longer-term deal worth more money.
But, according to sources around the league, the coronavirus suspension of play could most affect decisions from players like Bradley, who probably would have opted out of his contract before the virus shook the league’s financial structure. That means Bradley, who might have left the Lakers for a bigger deal before the pandemic hit, is much more likely to remain in L.A. longer than expected on a high-value deal.
Avery Bradley’s Health an Issue
Beyond the leg fracture this year, Bradley has had trouble staying healthy in recent years, playing 55 games in 2016-17, 46 games in 2017-18, and 63 games last year. He had a troublesome Achilles strain in 2017, surgery to fix an abdominal injury in 2018 and a handful of injuries—ankle, wrist, knee—in 2018 and 19. That was one reason he was available for the Lakers at such a bargain this past summer.
If Bradley had kept playing at the level he’d shown since late January, helping fuel a lengthy Lakers run in the playoffs, he could have opted out and, most likely, cashed in with another team. While health is a concern, Bradley has not had serious joint injuries and is still only 29.
As one league executive told Heavy.com, “He would have been in the three-year, $25-30 million range, maybe with a team option on the third year. He’s a very good two-way player, he was rounding into shape. The stoppage in play is going to hurt someone like him—in terms of contract and what his momentum was—as much as anyone.”
Opting Out is a Gamble for Bradley
Bradley still could opt out of his contract next season and gamble on the free-agent market, depending on how the salary cap looks in 2020-21. He’d like a longer deal if one is out there, and the Lakers, protecting their cap space for the Summer of 2021, won’t go beyond next season. Opting out is not too risky because Bradley could at least match the $5 million the Lakers are slated to give him.
But Bradley hoped this season would rebuild his value, playing for a high-level team like the Lakers. If that’s still the plan, opting in and making another run—hopefully uninterrupted by a pandemic—with L.A. could still accomplish that goal, and Bradley would only be 30 when he hits free agency next.
There would be playoff contenders lining up for a shot at Bradley if he did become a free agent. The Rockets and Nuggets in the West would be good fits. Bradley could be a good role player in Philadelphia if the Sixers make moves to loosen their top-level logjam. The Nets and Magic had interest in Bradley in the past.
A return to the Celtics, eager to find backcourt help off the bench, would be of interest, though a longshot.
But will the money be there? That’s the big problem for players with contract options like Bradley. And that problem could push him to stay a Laker.
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