The Los Angeles Lakers have had a very tough season and now with free agency coming, names like LeBron James, Luol Deng, Kyle Lowry, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony could be in the mix for LA to pair with Kobe Bryant and the team may also look to ditch head coach Mike D'Antoni and if he is fired, names like John Calipari and Billy Donovan could come up in connection with the job and that could make the future very bright for the franchise.
The 2013-14 year was a lost season for the Lakers and for superstar Kobe Bryant and while Jim Buss said that he would give up control fi the team isn't a winner in a few years, he may not have that much time with Bryant getting older and older. The team is holding out hope that they can get Kevin Love once he is a free agent, but that's another full year away at the earliest with his opt out and the time is now for Bryant and he will not want to go through another season like last year.
Of course Bryant was hurt and that changed things as well, but if he can get healthy and even play to 80 percent of his level, the team has a chance. The Lakers were known as the destination for superstars, but clearly that has changed a bit, as Dwight Howard looked to be the perfect guy to take the mantle for Shaq and then he left for the Houston Rockets and that came as he showed he wasn't too interested in being in LA in the first place. Houston has turned out great for Howard and now they could be in the mix to go after Carmelo Anthony this offseason and that could be another way that Howard and the Rockets shade the Lakers.
LA is looking to add a superstar and they have room to add a max contract, but they will have some competition for both LeBron James and Anthony this summer if those players opt out of their deals. While many think that both players will stay with their original teams, nothing is certain and some have speculated that at least one of the two players will depart for another team. The money right now is on Anthony, as he suffered his first playoffs at home this year after making it in each of his previous seasons with the Knicks and Nuggets and that could be one reason why he leaves.
The Lakers have some options if Anthony and James decide to stay or go to a different team like the Chicago Bulls or Houston Rockets, as Luol Deng is set to be a free agent, while they also could look at Kyle Lowry with the Raptors. Eric Bledsoe is a restricted free agent and Deng could be a likely option, as the Bulls may look at Anthony and that could leave LA to swoop in and get Deng before he has the chance to return to Chicago. The Lakers also have been rumored to be making a coaching change with D'Antoni and naturally Calipari has had his name come up.