If there is one thing that the last several years have taught Lakers fans, it’s that this ownership group and front office have thought a lot about how much it costs to run an NBA team, and how much it will or won’t spend to field a contender.
Because despite Jeanie Buss initially saying all the right things about being willing to pay the luxury tax for a contender back in early 2021, the team’s actions have not borne that out. They lost Alex Caruso for nothing after asking him to take less to help them save money on taxes that same offseason and have been turning down certain trades because they would make this roster more expensive either in immediate tax bills or long-term, all while Buss herself complains that the team should have went further because of how much money she is spending.