As a minor money-saving maneuver, the Los Angeles Lakers waived Quinn Cook just before NBA free agency began over the weekend.
To start, the decision saved the Lakers $2 million, as Cook’s contract only had a $1 million guarantee. The $2 million may not seem like a huge difference, but it may matter when it comes to the hard salary cap.
After the Lakers signed Wesley Matthews using their bi-annual exception, and Montrezl Harrell joining on the full midlevel exception, they sit well over the salary cap. Using bird rights, they managed to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but are dangerously close to the $139 million hard cap set by the league.