The LA Lakers thought about making free agent plays for Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe this offseason before signing Carlos Boozer and now the team is filling out the roster and they could look at a Steve Nash trade to help clear some salary heading into the future now that they have Jeremy Lin at point and this comes after the team signed Byron Scott as head coach for Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers feel that Scott is the right guy to bring the team back after a few years of being out of things and with Bryant looking like he is finally healthy again, the team could challenge for a bottom playoff spot in the west. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers may look at a Steve Nash trade at some point this season now that they have Jeremy Lin and this comes as the team is going to use his $9.7-million salary on the cap this year rather than spread it out over the next three seasons.
The Lakers are getting Bryant back and Los Angeles is hoping that he is healthy after missing nearly all of last season with an injury. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers considered making an offer sheet to Bledsoe this offseason as a restricted free agent, but had they done that, the offer sheet would count on the salary cap for the three days the Phoenix Suns had to match it and that would have hamstrung the Lakers from making moves on the roster.
The Nash contract is one of only a few that extended beyond last year along with Kobe and now the team is positioning themselves to have the most cap space they can over the next two summers. While Bryant doesn't have much time left, he still could be playing well in a year or two and the Lakers are planning on making big pushes for potential free agents like Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo and later Kevin Durant, although that is a dream proposition.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers likely would have waived Nash had they signed Pau Gasol or Carmelo Anthony, but those did not end up happening. According to ESPN.com, the Lakers have agreed to a deal with Byron Scott to take over as head coach and he is now in on a four-year, $17 million contract to be the new leader for the franchise. Scott previously played for the franchise and coming in he now the team has an option with the final year of the deal and that gives Scott a solid three or four years to build things back.
Last season the Lakers were terrible and they ended up with a top 10 pick and used it on Julius Randle and now Scott comes in and could put the hammer down. The team was a mess last season and Kobe has praised the hiring and the Lakers were very impressed with how Scott handled himself and he had three interviews and they feel he is the right fit for their young team. The Lakers won just 27 games last season, but they are improving and while they won't be a great team this year, they should be a major improvement over last season.
