Lakers to Be Money Player?

Sometime soon, it would seem, Phil Jackson will tie leader Red Auerbach with his ninth NBA coaching title, remarkably, in nine Finals appearances, and at the same moment pass Pat Riley for the lead in playoff victories.

And the Lakers will win their third consecutive championship.

And so in the span of three seasons, Shaquille O’Neal will have gone from a man who couldn’t win to a man who wins every year. And Kobe Bryant will be halfway to Michael Jordan’s six championships, and not yet 24 years old.

The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series, three games to none, over the upstart--formerly downtrodden--New Jersey Nets. Game 4 is scheduled Wednesday night at Continental Airlines Arena, with Game 5--if there is one--set for the same marsh on Friday night. Almost everyone involved, though, will have at least one foot out of town by Wednesday.

On the verge of all that, the Lakers also are quite possibly on the brink of change and, perhaps, willing to spend some money.

They have seven potential free agents on a 13-man roster, from their young players (Slava Medvedenko, Devean George, Jelani McCoy) to those in their prime (Samaki Walker, Lindsey Hunter), to the relatively seasoned (Mitch Richmond, Brian Shaw).

Among those free agents, only Medvedenko is restricted, meaning the Lakers can match any offers and retain him. Walker’s contract automatically expires unless he opts to extend for $1.5 million next season, and Hunter holds the option to terminate his final two seasons, which otherwise will pay him $3.9 million and $4.3 million.

Those seven stood Tuesday morning with their teammates, nearing a title, along with potential, temporary joblessness.

“I can’t think about that,” Walker said. “Not until our work is done here, as far as getting what we came for. A lot depends on what the Lakers decide to do.”

The Lakers have options. The new television deal, struck over the winter with ABC and AOL-Time Warner, will pay about $2.6 billion over four years, all but ending the era when new television contracts were significantly larger than the previous ones.

Therefore, teams that assumed the luxury-tax ceiling would rise steadily--the Lakers among them--probably will find themselves well into the dollar-for-dollar penalty for exceeding the payroll limit. Assuming Walker and Hunter return, the Lakers will have eight players under contract next season whose contracts total about $56 million. Most NBA officials expect next year’s luxury-tax threshold to be near $52 million.

At least another 13 of the league’s 29 teams are expected to come in above next year’s luxury-tax ceiling. Laker owner Jerry Buss has been a proponent of the luxury tax, which was designed to penalize free-spending organizations and spread the overruns to those franchises believed to be fiscally responsible, but it would seem nearly impossible for the Lakers to remain below the tax line. And as long as they’ll be required to spend some extra money anyway, might not they be inclined to spend even a bit more?

Therefore, as they maneuver in the off-season to restock the talent around O’Neal and Bryant, who next season will earn nearly $36 million combined, Buss might be more willing to upgrade his bench and beyond.

It is possible, then, that the Lakers will spend their $4.5 million exception this off-season. It went untouched last summer, when General Manager Mitch Kupchak persuaded Walker and Richmond to sign at cut rates, and deftly added Hunter in the hours after learning that Derek Fisher had suffered a second stress fracture in his foot.

Kupchak would say only that he is satisfied with the composition of the team, that he hopes to re-sign the young free agents, and that there will be no reason to tamper with the success, now bordering on a third consecutive championship.

“We have to maintain our core,” Kupchak said, “and replenish around it.”

Where that leaves his free agents can’t be known until July, when negotiating begins, and George, Medvedenko, Walker and Shaw, in particular, learn their market value.

George, who had a strong regular season but has struggled in the playoffs, said recently that he sensed his time with the Lakers was running out. McCoy, who spent most of the season on the injured list, probably would like to play more.

Walker’s value has risen, though he was slowed in the playoffs by a bone bruise in his knee. He said he has five days after the last game of the season to make his opt-out decision, and that meetings with Kupchak and Jackson would play into it.

“I’ve got to evaluate the situation,” Walker said. “That five days is going to be allocated to nothing but that.”

Then there is Richmond, the six-time all-star who arrived with a scoring average of 22.2 points and having played 21 playoff games. He has hardly played for two months. Jackson’s rotation tightened and Shaw took most of the reserve minutes at shooting guard, even as Richmond, at nearly 37, insisted he still had much to give.

He said Monday he would like to return to the Lakers.

“If I stay, I think I’d play,” he said. “Phil likes the guys with a year under their belt. So, I’d consider it.”

Richmond has a home in Calabasas, where his family is happy and settled. After years of stardom, a year off the bench wasn’t half bad, he said. If nothing else, he satisfied his curiosity about the Lakers and about championship-type teams.

“You know,” he said, “it’s everything I ever thought it would be. It’s been a fun and a happy time.”

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Free Agents in Waiting

The seven potential free agents currently on the Laker roster:

Devean George: Unrestricted free agent

Lindsey Hunter: Can opt to extend contract two years

Jelani McCoy: Unrestricted free agent

Slava Medvedenko: Restricted free agent (Lakers can match any offer)

Mitch Richmond: Unrestricted free agent

Brian Shaw: Unrestricted free agent

Samaki Walker: Can opt to extend contract one year