The Lakers have waived Milton! Signing Smart requires further actions: should they let go of Goodwin or trade two players?

On July 21, Beijing time, renowned reporter Shams reported that the Lakers have waived guard Shake Milton, whose contract for the 2025-26 season was worth $3 million. He also pointed out that this move was made by the Lakers to free up salary cap space in anticipation of the arrival of Marcus Smart.

As mentioned by ESPN's Bobby Marks, this action has left the Lakers' total salary $3.9 million below the league's luxury tax threshold. Smart's salary for the 2025-26 season is $5.1 million, and Marks hinted that the Lakers will need to make another move to sign him using the full mid-level exception.

Salary expert Yossi Gozlan stated that the Lakers need to free up another $4.2 million in salary cap space to utilize this full exception.

Recently, the Lakers exercised the team option on young defensive guard Jordan Goodwin's $2.3 million contract. With Smart's arrival, Goodwin may face some pressure in the rotation. Currently, only $25,000 of Goodwin's contract is guaranteed, but if he remains on the Lakers' roster in January, the contract will become fully guaranteed.

The Lakers can choose to waive Goodwin, or if they prefer not to give him up, they could trade away Knex and Kleber, as team reporter Irwin suggested. The Lakers are currently exploring such trade options.

In the 30 games after being traded to the Lakers, Milton averaged 11.5 minutes per game, scoring 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. The 28-year-old player fell out of Redick's playoff rotation, playing only 2 games with an average of 2.0 minutes on the court.