The Los Angeles Lakers power forward is among the highest paid players in the NBA despite his lack of production.
The Los Angeles Lakers will not be stepping off the Booze Cruise this season, as the power forward chose to decline a contract buyout. Lakers forward Carlos Boozer will miss the cutoff at the end of February for players to be cut and sign with a team before the postseason begins.
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From the Los Angeles Times:
"According to a person familiar with the situation, Boozer will finish out the season with the Lakers instead of looking for the chance to join a postseason contender as a free agent.The Lakers acquired Boozer in July off amnesty waivers from the Chicago Bulls. While his total salary this season is $16.8 million, the Bulls are responsible for $13.6 million while the Lakers are paying the 33-year-old $3.3 million."
That $16+ million salary is among the highest in the league. It outpaces a number of current and former All-Stars.
[Graphic from HoopsHype]
Fortunately, the Lakers would only be responsible for $3 million of it, so a buyout would be a reasonable suggestion if Boozer was looking to be an addition to a playoff contender. Boozer has scored 12.5 points and 7 rebounds per game this season, and was recently benched by coach Byron Scott on Friday in a loss against the Brooklyn Nets. Scott was trying a new lineup, and yesterday Carlos Boozer was back on the floor for a win against the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers will be heading towards the lottery again this year. They are the second worst team in the Western Conference with a 14-41 record, and with aging star Kobe Bryant on the bench with a shoulder injury, the only thing the Lakers and their fans have to play for is the development of their young players.
If Boozer were to leave the Lakers, he could land on a team like the Los Angeles Clippers in a post scorer role off the bench. But it appears as though he will stay and help the Lakers’ young players develop with his All-Star level hyping.
[H/T: Los Angeles Times, HoopsHype]
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