In regards to signing him to 2 year contract:
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The first reason is that they got him cheap and non guaranteed, meaning that if he didn't pan out, there was no contract risk.
The second thing is that by giving him a two year deal, they made him an Arenas rule free agent. This has a few Perks:
First, he's restricted, which means they can match any offer. Second, it limits the amount he can be offered to the MLE in the first year of a deal, a 4.5% raise from that in year two, and then up to the max in years 3 and 4.
Because of the Arenas rule, the team signing him would have to have cap space equal to the average salary of the deal (probably around 13 million on a max four year offer), and would have that amount count against the cap each year. But the Lakers would only have to hold a qualifying offer of around 1.2 million ( or 2.7 million if he met starter qualifications (start 41 games or play 2,000 minutes) against their cap. They could then sign other players, and even if they used up their cap room before he received an offer, they could still match using the Arenas provision.
Even better, his actual salary would count against their cap for each year, so for the first two years, he would only be a MLE level cap hit, and wouldn't hit the cap heavily until 2018.
The team could also ask him to do one of three things:
Take the qualifying offer and become a full Bird rights free agent in 2017. In this case he would get paid a year earlier, but he would still be restricted.
Take an early bird contract of up to four years starting at the MLE with 4.5% raises each year (which they could give him after using up their cap space). This is the most they could offer without using cap space and without matching another offer.
Sign him to a larger deal (anything up to the lowest level max for up to four years with 4.5% raises ) using cap space.
Lots of options, and best of all, he has no way to become unrestricted. At worst he can take the QO, but again, he's restricted the next year.
In regards to knowing what we know now was it better to get him on that 3-4 year contract:
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Not necessarily. Given that he is a second rounder, locking up for that amount of time (if he accepts such a deal, which is debatable) gives you his Bird rights, but he becomes an unrestricted free agent, meaning you could lose him. With the two year deal and Arenas rights, you all but ensure if he pans out that you will have him from 6 (he signs an arenas deal that you match) to eight (he signs a qualifying offer and then a five year deal afterwards while still restricted) years. And in the case of matching an Arenas deal, in years five and six you are paying him no less than what a lotto pick that pans out would get, while getting him cheaper over the first four years
. Also you keep ignoring the fact that Clarkson would've had to agree to a 3 or 4 year deal which would have been a Longshot and out of the lakers hands anyway
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