Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[surfpuckmd]

In S/W'ing McGee, can his contract be traded?

No.  

That's one of the reasons this is a losing move.  

That contract may have had some value next summer for salary matching.  Now it does not.

It also defers part of McGee's salary over an additional three years.  Those future years will presumably also include big salary increases to retain Josh Green and Jaden Hardy.  This will potentially affect other player acquisitions for the next four off-seasons.  

There would be more logic to just waiving this season's salary then stretch waiving his last year's salary next off-season.  Instead, they've apparently chosen to stretch waive this summer.  

There is no upside to this move.  They could have simply asked McGee to stay at home for two years or negotiated a buyout.

This remains a good season of progress overall but this particular move is peculiar and full of nonsense.