LAKESHOW wrote:Its win-win.
Stay, we have long term presence in the middle.
Leave, we'll have tons and tons of cap space with 3 guys to hold us up for a while until we bring in the next STAR.
If Howard walks this summer, then the Lakers are $4 million over the cap. That means that next season, the Lakers would have to go with Nash, Bryant, Gasol and the current group of role players. While I believe that "addition by subtraction" is possible, I don't think that would provide too much faith in the paying fan base. Bryant, especially, wants to compete every year that he has remaining.