On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that they had extended qualifying offers to Jordan Clarkson, Marcelo Huertas and Tarik Black to make the trio restricted free agents.
However, LA did not list an offer to Ryan Kelly, meaning the former Duke University Blue Devil will now become an unrestricted free agent. This is likely the end of Kelly's tenure with the team, possibly the NBA.
The Lakers always expected to make a qualifying offer to Clarkson, as the guard enters his third season with the start of the 2016-17 NBA season. The former Missouri point guard served as the standout player on the team during his rookie season and followed up as the most consistent member of the purple and gold in his sophomore season.
Huertas is a 33-year-old point guard with limited shooting ability but a strong ability to run an offense. Informally nicknamed "The Catalyst," Huertas raised eye brows when he played a central role in defeating the Golden State Warriors in a nationally televised game. After sitting for the majority of the first half of the season, the Brazilian finished the season strong. As such, the offer is not entirely out of left field, but Huertas only played his rookie season in the NBA season during the 2015-16 campaign, after playing in Spain for the bulk of his career. Huertas can be a veteran presence, but his age does not make him a long-term solution for the team.
Black was originally picked up off waivers in December of 2014. The undrafted rookie has strength and athleticism, but former Lakers coach Byron Scott did not play the bulky forward/center with any regularity. During the 2015-16 season, Black only averaged 12.7 minutes per game and only appeared in 39 games.
According to Eric Pincus and Basketball Insiders, the Lakers' qualifying offers were Clarkson at $2,725,000, Huertas at $1,074,636 and Black at $1,180,431. As restricted free agents, all three of these players have the ability to go and sign offers sheets with another team, and the Lakers would then have the option to match the terms of the offer.
Ultimately, the Lakers can choose to retain all three players, regardless of what another team offers.
