Ronny Turiaf has been offered a four-year deal worth $17 million by the Golden State Warriors, according to late-night reports on the web sites of our sister paper, the Contra Costa Times, and the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
The Lakers have seven days to match the Warriors’ offer sheet to Turiaf, a restricted free agent. The question is: will they?
The Lakers have salary cap issues and they haven’t filled out their roster for 2008-09 yet. The cap has been set at $58.680 million for next season (up from $55.630 million last season) and the luxury tax will kick in at $71.150 million (up from $67.865). The Lakers’ payroll could be somewhere around $80 million if they match the Warriors’ offer for Turiaf.
With Andrew Bynum returning to form after suffering a season-ending left kneecap injury, Pau Gasol under contract for three more seasons and Chris MIhm available for another year, the Lakers would seem to be well-stocked up front.
Look for the Lakers to pursue veteran Kurt Thomas if they decide against retaining Turiaf.