Lakers need to make exceptional decisions

The Lakers can breathe easier. They are no longer paying Brian Grant.

His contract finally expires tonight, but so does the one belonging to Luke Walton, who will be thrust into the open market at 9:01 p.m. while ushering in another phase of the Lakers’ off-season -- and more questions -- with the beginning of the free-agency period.

Will the Lakers retain Walton by perhaps tripling the $1.4 million he made last season? They hope so.

Will they re-sign Chris Mihm at a substantial pay cut? It’s a wait-and-see.

Whom will they sign with their mid-level exception? Denver point guard Steve Blake, Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams, Orlando forward Grant Hill and Miami sharpshooter Jason Kapono are all possibilities.

Although the Lakers just drafted a young point guard for a second consecutive season, they’re in the market for one with more experience than Javaris Crittenton, who played one season at Georgia Tech.

“I think that remains a position we need to pursue,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Friday. “Jordan Farmar may end up being that player, but we do feel that another player in the backcourt, a veteran player, would be a good fit.”

Other than trades, the mid-level exception will be the main free-agent tool at the Lakers’ disposal. The exception, given annually to teams over the salary cap, was used last season on a five-year, $30.2 million deal for Vladimir Radmanovic.

The exception can be broken into pieces and used on more than one player.

“There’s a long summer ahead of us -- July, August, and September -- and there’s a lot of things that can be done,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “We’re going to try to do what we have to do to replenish the amount of talent. It’s not just talent, it’s about players who can play their way through a season.”

Blake, 27, was traded early last season from Milwaukee to Denver and averaged 6.4 points and five assists in the Nuggets’ high-scoring offense. Steady but not flashy, he could run the triangle offense with quiet efficiency.

Williams, 24, will have many teams chasing him after averaging 17.3 points and 6.1 assists for Milwaukee. At 6 feet 1, he is two inches shorter than Blake and there are questions about his durability.

Kapono, 26, has long had an interest in playing for the Lakers. The former UCLA standout averaged a career-high 10.9 points and made a league-best 51.4% from three-point range last season for Miami.

Hill, 34, had a solid season for Orlando, averaging 14.4 points and 30.9 minutes, but he has had trouble staying on the court in recent seasons because of a variety of injuries. He played 65 games last season.

The Lakers will also take a long look at re-signing two of their own free agents with moves that won’t require using the exception.

They are very interested in retaining Walton, the consummate triangle type who averaged career-high averages of 11.4 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists last season. They have the right to re-sign him for up to six years, with his first-year salary starting at $12 million, but $4 million to $5 million a year is obviously a more plausible swing zone.

“We like Luke,” Kupchak said. “We’d like to bring him back in the fold and we plan to talk to him about it as soon as the rules allow us to do so.”

Walton, 27, was expected to receive varying degrees of interest from 10 to 12 teams.

“The Lakers are definitely at the top of the list, but at the same time, I’m going to talk to other teams and go meet with them and see what it’s like in other cities,” Walton said. “I at least have to do that.”

Mihm, 27, won’t receive as many calls for obvious reasons. He sat out last season after undergoing reconstructive ankle surgery and was expected to take a significant cut from the $4.2 million he made last season.

He has been working out with Andrew Bynum at the Lakers’ training facility and says his right ankle feels strong, but he understands the questions on the minds of other teams, including the Lakers.

“I’m sure there’s going to be some teams that are OK with it and are going to bring offers to the table,” he said. “Others want to see me come in and see me run, jump, and the whole deal. It’s going to be a process. I know the Lakers and I would both like to make something work here.”

Mihm was averaging a career-best 10.2 points before getting injured toward the end of the 2005-06 season.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com