The LA Lakers are having a tough season and they may look at trade deals at the deadline with names like Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer or Wesley Johnson and in the future they may look at signing Marc Gasol in free agency, while Rajon Rondo, JR Smith, Roy Hibbert or Greg Monroe could be potential targets for Kobe Bryant support down the line.
The Lakers are 3-11 on the season and they are fifth in the Pacific division and they have been very inconsistent so far on both ends of the court. The team has been without Steve Nash and that has also hurt the offense and he is out for the season with a back injury. According to ESPN.com, the Lakers have received a disabled player exception for Nash and they can now use about $5 million due to his injury issues. The team also has a $1.5 million exception due to the injury to Julius Randle and that was another big blow for the Lakers this season.
Nash has been injured for the bulk of his Lakers tenure and he only played in 65 games over the past two seasons and now is in the final year of his deal and will be paid about $10 million. ESPN.com reports that Nash could be traded if a team wants to use some financial maneuvering on the salary cap. The Lakers plan on spending money next summer and moving Nash could be an option, as they likely will chase Marc Gasol and Rajon Rondo on the free agent market.
Greg Monroe and Marc Gasol are also free agents next summer and both players are expected to get chased by the Lakers, Celtics and Knicks. All three teams will have some money to spend and PBT writes that there are "rumblings" about the Lakers and Monroe, while the NY Post has reported the Knicks will be going hard after Gasol. The Celtics also could be a target for Gasol, as Pro Basketball Talk added there is a chance that the team would try to sign both Rondo and Gasol.
The Lakers will have money to spend next summer and they are hoping Kevin Love will hit the market, but that is not likely to happen. The Cavaliers will be interested in keeping Love long term and the Lakers may have to look at some other options. Rondo has long been considered a target for the Lakers, while Goran Dragic also could be a target. Last summer Pro Basketball Talk reported that the Lakers were interested in Dragic and that could be the way the team goes if Rondo stays in Boston or signs elsewhere.
Rondo came back last season after ACL surgery and looked very good over the final 30 games, averaging nearly a double-double in that time on points and assists. Over the final few weeks of the season Rondo did average a double-double and no matter what happens, he will be the most coveted free agent on the market. Kevin Love was once considered to be the top name that would be in free agency, but after his trade to the Cavaliers, it now has shifted to Rondo.