The LA Lakers are coming into the offseason after a very rough year and they are looking at some major moves, including a Steve Nash trade that could include Klay Thompson and Kevin Love with the Golden State Warriors, while names like Kyle Lowry, Jeremy Lin, Isaiah Thomas and Luol Deng also could be options in trades or on the free agent market.
The Warriors and Timberwolves have been talking a Kevin Love trade for a while and after talks broke down between the two teams over Thompson, they resumed again this weekend but there is no deal close to getting done. According to ESPN.com, the Lakers tried to steer Thompson to their team for their number seven pick in the draft and Steve Nash, but they stayed home and picked Julius Randle and now they are excited about adding him to the roster.
Lowry is one of the top free agents on the market and the team could try and sign him or Isaiah Thomas to be the new main point guard for Kobe Bryant. Thomas said he loved the Lakers as a kid and it would be a dream to play there, while Lowry is coming off of a great season with the Toronto Raptors and should be chased by a number of teams. The Rockets have a trade lined up for Jeremy Lin and he could be on his way out of town if the team is trying to sign one of the main free agents on the market. The Rockets already moved Omer Asik to the Pelicans and that freed up cap space and they could try and do that again.
Carmelo Anthony is another target for the Los Angeles Lakers and the team also feels it has a shot to convince LeBron James to sign away from the Miami Heat. Most people in the NBA see LeBron signing back with the Miami Heat to keep the Big 3 together, but there is always a chance someone can convince him to bounce. Anthony and the Knicks have been talking before free agency officially starts and while they are optimistic, their fans are worried he will leave. The Knicks moved Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks and now he is gone and that frees up cap space for the team.
Nash and Bryant are getting older and the Lakers are coming off of a season with just 27 wins and they still do not have a head coach. The Lakers dealt with an injured Bryant last season and they hope he can come back healthy and they come in after ranking near the bottom of the league in points allowed per game and they will need to shape up their D. There are other players on the market to look at as well, including Lance Stephenson and Luol Deng if they miss out on Anthony. Bryant will still be the leader of this team, but he has been injured and may not be the Bryant of old and that is why the Lakers want to sign players and they want to get younger and they now have Randle in the fold to help do that.