The LA Lakers have been busy this offseason and free agent options remain in names like Eric Bledsoe, Michael Beasley, Jordan Crawford and Chris Douglas-Roberts and while Bledsoe may sign with the Phoenix Suns, he remains on the market and with Byron Scott in the fold for Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles also may consider a Steve Nash trade at some point this season if they have any suitors.
The Lakers did not make any big splashes this season despite how they played last year and while they thought about a sign and trade for Eric Bledsoe, the team felt that it wasn't worth it since the Suns would like match their offer sheet. According to ESPN.com, the team worked out Michael Beasley and liked how he looked and this comes after the team added Carlos Boozer and also traded for Jeremy Lin. The team also is looking at Singleton and Douglas-Roberts, as those names could be solid off the bench for the Lakers this year.
The Lakers made numerous other moves this offseason and while they were on the smaller side, they should help the team improve from where they were last year. The team kept leading scorer Nick Young after he put up career high numbers in scoring in points per game and the team also retained the services of Ryan Kelly after he made the team last season. Xavier Henry was brought back along with Wesley Johnson and while the team lost Kendall Marshall to waivers to the Bucks, they should be fine if Lin takes over at point guard.
The Lakers had a very tough year and now Scott comes in and gets the chance to remake things and while many players return, the system and the roster are going to be different. Scott will give the team a defensive identity and getting Kobe Bryant back healthy is the main key to everything. Lin is not an All-Star player, but he will be an upgrade over the Steve Nash and Steve Blake combination and that should also help offensively.
The team lost Pau Gasol but added Carlos Boozer and while he is not the player Gasol is, he should at least be able to make up some of his production. Boozer average 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds last season and while that was not some of his best work, it came in just 28 minutes per game and that is strong production for that amount of time. The Bulls amnestied Boozer and they really had no other choice but to do so since he was making so much money, but that production for $3 million is fine for the Lakers.
Last year the Lakers were a total mess and now they have the chance to turn it around after signing Ed Davis and Jordan Hill back and they should be much stronger of the bench. The team is looking for Kobe Bryant to come back healthy and that can give a boost to the younger players and while he won't be as dominant as in past years, it should help the Lakers compete. The team easily can get into the bottom playoff spot this season and Scott will make them a team that others do not want to play.
