© Kyle Terada | 2020 Feb 27
It’s unclear if Avery Bradley will exercise his 2021 player option with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors are going to reportedly persuade him to do so.
Golden State, along with Milwaukee and several other contenders, are going to vie with the Lakers for his services according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Though limited in their cap space, the Warriors do have the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception. It stands to reason that Bradley would only opt out of his contract with the Lakers if he can get a deal worth more than the $5 million he’s owed in 2021, and if he believes his playing time will be negatively affected by the addition of Dennis Schroder, who the Lakers will finalize a trade for on Wednesday.
Bradley, soon-to-be 30, is a solid combo guard, known for his defensive abilities. Bradley made all-defensive teams in both 2013 (2nd team) and 2016 (1st team) as a member of the Celtics.
Before opting out of the Orlando bubble, Bradley averaged 8.6 points over 49 games (44 starts) last year, while shooting over 36 percent from 3-point range. Bradley elected not to play in Orlando to ensure the health of his family.
“As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family,” Bradley told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “And so, at a time like this, I can’t imagine making any decision that might put my family’s health and well-being at even the slightest risk.
“As promised also, I will use this time away to focus on the formation of projects to help strengthen my communities.”
Bradley would come off the bench for the Warriors, but could spell either Curry or Thompson, and considering his defensive abilities, could even play alongside them in small lineups.