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LOS ANGELES LAKERS: STATE OF THE FRANCHISE

State of the Franchise

Projected Cap Space (before luxury tax): $40.6 million

Background: In 2010, the Lakers got their revenge on their rival, the Boston Celtics, by beating them in a seven game NBA Finals series. Then, in 2012, they made a risky trade for C Dwight Howard, who was on the last year of his deal and had made no commitment to re-sign. They also signed veteran PG Steve Nash to complete their lineup of franchise SG Kobe Bryant, star PF Pau Gasol, Howard, and Nash himself. There were even talks of the team winning the title that year, but things didn't turn out as expected. All of their stars were constantly battling injuries and old age, except for Howard, and they barely got into the playoffs, sneaking in as the 7th seed. Their title hopes were destroyed when they were swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. Then, they took a major blow when Howard left for Houston in free agency the following year. Pau Gasol left for Chicago this past season and is having a career year at 34 years old with the Bulls this year. Nash and Kobe are still around but are battling their respective injuries as well as father time. After missing out on on big name free agents the past couple of years, the Lakers find themselves near the bottom of the Western Conference. After a disappointing season last year, the Lakers ended up with the 7th pick in the NBA Draft and selected Kentucky standout PF Julius Randle. This year, they took yet another devastating blow when Bryant, a future Hall of Famer, went down with a season ending injury for the second year in a row. However, that may be for the best, as this will improve the Lakers’ draft pick, as they were never a competitive team this season to begin with. Los Angeles looks to rebuild through the draft and free agency around the aging Bryant.

Current Financial State: Although they have a lot of money to spend, they are more restrained than they could have been. Two years ago, they handed Kobe a monstrous 2 year/$48 million extension, which won’t expire until 2016. Although he is perhaps the greatest Laker of all time, his old age and inability to stay healthy and productive have lowered his value. He probably could have taken a pay cut, which would have been best for the franchise. However, the deal has already been inked and they cannot change it now. His contract is the only major contract that stays on the books beyond this upcoming offseason. PG’s Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash's respective $15 million and $9 million contracts expire this year, giving the Lakers a lot of money to spend for yet another offseason. With a lot of cap space available and a stacked free agent class next year, as well as Kobe's coming contract off the books, the Lakers will be looking to add a quality player to help attract a superstar next offseason.

Targets: Although there a lot of stars in this year's free agent class, many of them are unlikely to change teams. A couple of stars that could be on the move are C Marc Gasol (MEM) and PG Rajon Rondo (DAL). Although both are quite satisfied with their current teams, money might be enough to lure them away from their respective homes. The Lakers must hand Gasol a max contract, which could be worth upwards of $80 million over 4 years, if they want any hope of prying him from Memphis. Rondo is worth around 3 years/$45 million, but he might need an overpay incentive as well if the Lakers want to get him, perhaps maybe an extra year with the same annual value. Just to be clear, although the Lakers will target both, they are only going to sign one of them. By only adding one of them, they should not have to worry about going above the luxury tax line and can become more successful next year, thereby increasing their chances of signing a big name free agent in 2016, namely superstar SF/PF Kevin Durant (OKC). 

The Fit: The Lakers don't really have many restrictions on their targets this season. The only main issues are that they cannot be a SG, Kobe's natural position, and that they have to be All Star caliber players. Rondo and Gasol fit both these qualifications, but they fit in other ways, too. Rondo is a crafty pass-first PG who can run the offense for the extremely offensively talented Kobe. His defensive abilities can also take some weight off of Bryant’s shoulders, as Rondo can guard the opposing team's best guard. Gasol fits in well because he’s a scorer and he can take some of the heavy scoring load off Kobe. He is also an excellent post defender and rim protector and complements the offensively-minded Julius Randle nicely. The Lakers would be satisfied with either one of these extremely talented players. They are hoping that money will be enough to get one of them, as then they can sign a superstar in the loaded 2016 free agent class and go for Kobe’s sixth title.
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