The LA Lakers are coming into the season with high expectations after hiring Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant has the playoffs on his mind and as the year gets closer to starting, many have focused on next summer and with names like Ricky Rubio, Rajon Rondo and LaMarcus Aldridge potential targets, Los Angeles may look to trade Steve Nash or Jeremy Lin to clear cap space.
Bryant said to reporters this week ahead of the start of training camp that he thinks the Lakers can make the playoffs and that he is ready to be back healthy. Pro Basketball Talk writes that the Lakers are planning on making a strong push next summer for free agents and that will come after Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin are off the books. The reports said that the team could look at making trades if the team doesn't play up to expectations, as both Nash and Lin are on expiring deals and could be attractive options.
Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio, Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are some of the names that should be available and the Lakers will have plenty of cap space to work with. The Lakers will be looking at Rondo hard and if they miss out on him, Rubio may be a restricted free agent. Iman Shumpert and a number of other players are also potential restricted free agents and those names also could come under the radar of the Lakers.
Gasol is going to be chased by the Knicks and the Boston Celtics are also reportedly looking at him. Aldridge likely will be staying in Portland and that makes the chase for Gasol and Greg Monroe even more crucial. Monroe signed a one year deal to stay in Detroit, but he said that he would be open to signing another deal next summer with the Pistons.
The Lakers have made a number of moves this offseason to add talent to the roster after last season was a mess, including signing Carlos Boozer and adding Lin in a trade. Boozer is a nice addition at his price, as the team needed to replace Pau Gasol after he signed with the Bulls this offseason. Boozer was way overpaid with the Bulls, but his numbers of 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in just 28 minutes are very good for the Lakers. The team doesn't need him to be as good as Gasol on both ends and he should be able to give the team a string presence up front.
The Lakers also brought back leading scorer Nick Young and they signed Xavier Henry, Ryan Kelly, Jordan Hill and Wesley Matthews to keep their bench depth. The team success likely depends on how healthy Bryant is and whether the team can gel for Byron Scott, but if all that cuts right, they should be in the playoff mix. Last season the Suns won 48 games and missed the playoffs, so the Lakers will have to improve considerably this season to get into the postseason. The Lakers have a ton they need to do, but with Scott leading the way the team should be much improved and a tough out for teams this season.