Not picking up the fourth year option on the rookie contract of Devean George may be a move which comes back to bite the Lakers, reports Tim Brown of the Los Angeles Times.  The Lakers, a team that is close to the luxury tax threshold, could have as many as seven free agents this offseason.  

GM Mitch Kupchak has been told to stay under the tax threshold, just like a lot of owners have told their managers, which was a major reason why Kupchak didn't pick up the $1.5M option on George's contract.  Only five months later George is looking like a different player entirely, and for him to remain a Laker L.A. may need to pony up a lot more.

"There's no way of telling what would have happened had we picked up [the option]," Kupchak said. "There may be some kind of a tie-in to us not picking it up. You know, 'Hey, it's real now. This is serious. Wake up.' ... It may have no connection to that, either. It may be just the process young players go through. Looking back on things, we're comfortable with the decision and the bottom line is, for whatever the reason, he's really come on and played well. And that helps us today."

"I was very disappointed," George said about not having his option picked up. "They basically said, 'We don't have any plans for you.' So, now I'm out there trying to be seen."