The LA Lakers are coming into the year after a tough season and in the future the team could consider a Greg Monroe trade or free agent signing after missing out on Kevin Love, as the team has money to spend in 2015 and there is a chance that this season the team could pull off a Steve Nash trade to give Kobe Bryant some more support, as Jeremy Lin is now the starting point guard.
According to ESPN.com and Pro Basketball Talk, both Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe have been mentioned in trade rumors, as their agents have looked at potential deals for the restricted free agents and the Lakers could be an option down the line. The Lakers have cap space in the future and they are preparing for a big 2015 summer and those names could be part of it. LA also reportedly thought about a sign and trade earlier this summer for Bledsoe, but the talks between Los Angeles and the Sun never got serious.
The Lakers have made a number of moves in free agency this summer, including keeping their owner free agents like Ryan Kelly and leading scorer Nick Young. Last season Young had a strong season and Swaggy P set career high in scoring and now he is back on a four year contract. The team also signed back Wesley Johnson as well as Xavier Henry and they join players like Julius Randle and Jeremy Lin, who are also new additions.
The Lakers may not be a great team, but they are deeper than last season and more talented and while they are not going to win the west, they should make the playoffs. The team is getting back a healthy Kobe Bryant and the team could be energized by the hiring of Byron Scott as head coach. Bryant could be the key to everything and the Lakers are hoping he can stay healthy.
The Lakers have also checked in on Michael Beasley according to ESPN.com, holding a work out for him a couple weeks ago and while he looked good in that session, the team has not signed him yet. Beasley averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Heat in 15 minutes per game last season and he could be a solid reserve option for the team off the bench. The Lakers would like to add a player or two to the bench after filling up most of the roster and so far the team looks to be more talented than they were last year.
Losing Pau Gasol will be tough, but adding Carlo Boozer can help with that, as he is a strong defensive presence and an athletic rebounder. The Chicago Bulls had no choice but to use the amnesty clause on Boozer and while he had a solid year production wise, based on his salary and the minutes he played it wasn't good enough for the Bulls, Boozer averaged over 12 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game in less than 30 minutes per contest and if he can do that again, it will be just fine for the Lakers at the price they are paying him for this year.
