The LA Lakers had a terrible season last year and now some trade rumors have popped up with the team and names like Kyle Lowry and Rajon Rondo could be in the mix for Steve Nash if the team wants to move on and this comes as they head into the offseason with names like Pau Gasol, Luol Deng, LeBron James and Lance Stephenson free agent targets for Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers won only 27 games this past season and they are coming into the offseason looking to improve and Lowry is a name to watch, as he will be a free agent. A sign and trade deal with the Raptor could be an option if he decides to leave and Toronto is hoping he wants to stay and build. The team made it to the playoffs for the first time in years and won a franchise record amount of games and a lot of that was due to the ply of Lowry, who has developed into a very nice point guard.
LeBron James is likely not leaving Miami, but the Lakers have some money and could look at players like Lowry or Stephenson as the next wave. During the 2013-14 season when Nash was injured some reports had the Toronto Raptors interested in acquiring Nash since he is from Canada, but the team started playing well and those rumors quickly faded away.
The Raptors had a great season and with Lowry set to be a free agent, as sign and trade could be in the cards if he opts not to return. Lowry had his best career season in 2013-14 and led the Raptors to the playoffs and a division title and the team is hoping they can retain him. Deng and Stephenson are top free agents on the market and so far it looks like they will not return to their teams, while Deng could go back to the Bulls after being traded to the Cavaliers this past season.
The Lakers have a top 10 draft pick for the first time in quite a while after making it into the lottery this year and while they may look at trading the pick, this draft class this year is very deep. The Lakers are too far back to get someone like Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins, but they could be in the mix for players like Dante Exum along with Aaron Gordon, Kyle Anderson or Nik Stauskas. The Lakers want an impact player with the pick and they likely will get one and that could be the first of many moves for the franchise as they try and build things back this year.
The defense overall must improve after ranking 29th in the league in points allowed last season and the team ranked 11th in scoring and 25th in rebounds per game. Players like Wesley Johnson and Nick Young stepped up in tough circumstances and now the Lakers could look totally new when they come back next season. Chris Kaman never gelled with Mike D'Antoni and now the head coach is gone and a number of names could be in the mix, including Mike Dunleavy and Kurt Rambis along with Derek Fisher and Alvin Gentry as well as Byron Scott, who used to play for the Lakers.
The Lakers have some young players that could stick around, including Kent Bazemore, who is just 24 and came over in the Steve Blake trade. He averaged 13 points with the team and was good enough towards the end of the season and now he could be back, while Wesley Johnson finished the year with nine points and four rebounds per game and showed that he could be a versatile player on the court. Bazemore could end up being a long term option based on his age and he showed the team he can play in a number of spots and under duress as well and the deal helped save the team money by moving Blake.
According to ESPN.com and Pro Basketball Talk, the team has spoken with Alvin Gentry about the job and has also interviewed with Scott, who was previously a player with the franchise. Last season Bryant was injured apart from a handful of games and things went from bad to worse under D'Antoni and he never felt like a fit and now he is gone. The team missed the playoffs and went just 27-55, their worst record in years. The team needs to make a splash and names like Lowry, Stephenson and Deng could be options.