Lakers to pick up Bynum's team option

[dockingsched]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... num-option

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't land Dwight Howard, but that doesn't mean they won't have an All-Star center next season.

General manager Mitch Kupchak reportedly said that the team will pick up Andrew Bynum's option for next season. "He's the starting center on the West All-Star team. Why wouldn't we do everything we could to keep him here?" Kupchak said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "We're ecstatic to have him on the team."

The Lakers must exercise the center's $16.1 million option by June 30. Bynum will then be a free agent after the 2012-13 season, at the same time Howard is set to become a free agent after deciding not to opt out of his contract this summer.

[The Skyhook]

I'm sure the Lakers will do everything in their power to resign Bynum but the thought of the games top 2 center's becoming free agents at the same time is interesting. There probably will be a good number of teams throwing up a lot of money to try and land one of these two.

[ROballer]

No brainer

Followed by extension next year,for sure....for the MAX,of course

[The Skyhook]

This article makes it seem as if the Magic and Lakers won't have the chance to offer extensions and that Dwight and Bynum will become free agents in 2013. Can someone please clear that up.

[ROballer]

This article makes it seem as if the Magic and Lakers won't have the chance to offer extensions and that Dwight and Bynum will become free agents in 2013. Can someone please clear that up.

Dwight won't sign extension
Bynum will if offered(95% chance of happening)

Both can be offered contract extensions next season

[miggs]

Nice pick up, one more year of Bargain Bynum after though, it's a max contract, and I have no problem with that whatsoever.

[dockingsched]

This article makes it seem as if the Magic and Lakers won't have the chance to offer extensions and that Dwight and Bynum will become free agents in 2013. Can someone please clear that up.

Dwight won't sign extension
Bynum will if offered(95% chance of happening)

Both can be offered contract extensions next season

yeah, the bynum extension talks are something i am NOT looking forward to. is he worth max salary? probably the way he's playing. after that though, how many yrs do u want to lock yourself into? bynum still has very real injury concerns, and you can't just amnesty that contract. unless the lakers are perfectly happy giving max yrs + max salary, i imagine his agent david lee is going to be a lil bitch again.

[ROballer]

Gotta give him the MAX tho'(or very close to the MAX)...if he's lowballed during the extension talks he may get angry and bolt in the summer as a FA..

I'm sure there's at least one team who's going to give him the MAX if guys like Nene,Chandler,Jordan,Marc Gasol got as much as they did

And the idea of being the 1st option on a team might be very tempting for him....we gotta lock him on an extension during the season,we may get a few millions discount(although not much)
If we don't make it happen it's clear we have to throw the full MAX at him in the summer of 2013

[laduane1]

Kobe is Maxed, Pau is up there also, AB gets a max or close to it. That is like 60 million. No wonder lakers have to add crap players to the bench.

[desertlakerfan]

No brainer, Bynum is beasting and if he keeps it up through next year will have earned a max contract extension.

[ALL HAIL]

Yeah, they really need to dump the rest of the overpaid contracts.

World-Peace won't be amnestied because, as the Lakers see it, it's a waste of money to pay a guy to go away, especially at a position of need ... and W. Peace still has a unique skill set that can impact a game.

Blake is probably the player that will be packaged (with a first rd pk) next. Unfortuantely, in my eyes, there is noone that will want him. Maybe Portland, but even that doesn't make any sense, considering they are trying to trim salary.

[Kilroy]

If we don't make it to the finals, I expect Pau to be traded... If this core can't get it done, why pay the money?
I could also see another push to swap Bynum for Dwight as well... It sounds like Orlando might revisit a trade for him in the off season. Blake could be in one of those packages just to make salaries work.
And if we need the room for a SF and there are no takers, I could see MWP getting Amnestied. I don't think the FO is dead set against the idea, it just needs to be the right situation.
But with the deals we just made, we're in better shape than we were at the start of the season. We have a lot of players that can be easily jettisoned now.

[Leor_77]

At this story.

[franklin]

Buy your Mavericks Bynum jersey now.

Bynum is going to run for the exits once free. He's being courted by ownerships who know how to treat a star player right and will be loyal. He knows others won't dump him like Lamar, Pau, or Fisher at the first sign of decline.

[dockingsched]

keep it in your jazz vs. lakers thread please.

[franklin]

keep it in your jazz vs. lakers thread please.

My input is not welcome here? Typical fanboys afraid of outside opinion I guess.

[miggs]

keep it in your jazz vs. lakers thread please.

My input is not welcome here? Typical fanboys afraid of outside opinion I guess.

[Edrees]

I'm looking forward to the bynum extension talks. It will mean he stayed healthy for these playoffs, and if that's the case I like our chances with a healthy bynum dominating in the playoffs.

[XXIV]

Smart move by the Lakers to pick up the team option, but I'm more interested in seeing what type of an extension he will receive. It will most likely be max money but the number of years could be important.

[That Nicka]

no brainer