This Summer’s Most Interesting NBA Team
Since the Lakers franchise moved to Los Angeles prior to the 1960, the Los Angeles Lakers — as we know them now — have made the playoffs 47 times over the next 52 seasons. In other words: the Lakers missing the postseason used to happen as often as a snowstorm
Yet, since 2013, the Lakers are now on a five-year franchise drought, meaning their current drought comprises the same volume of time as their total number of missed postseasons in franchise history.
Obviously, such results aren’t acceptable in Tinseltown. In fact, those are the types of results that would bring about the housecleaning we saw, in which legendary Lakers’ Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was named president of basketball operations, and longtime agent Rob Pelinka was named the General Manager.
Johnson and Pelinka have been charged with the brutally simple assignment of restoring the Lakers to being an elite NBA franchise. And what they do this summer will set the tone for whether they succeeed or fail at that mission, and where the franchise will find itself in the NBA ranks for the forseeable future.
If this summer was a two-part meal at a fancy LA restaurant, then the Lakers’ “internal” moves serve as the appetizer. They’ll have to do whatever they can to rid themselves of forward Luol Deng’s toxic contract, which remains a mistake they continue to pay for. Forward Julius Randle is a free agent (and a former lottery pick) who’s good enough to keep around, but not at a contract that’ll cost LA more than $15 million or so per year (the going rate of good free agents in today’s NBA world).
But the entree, of course, is whom they’ll try and bring in via free agency. Since Johnson rejoined the Lakers, the whispers that the Lakers will pursue likely free-agent-to-be LeBron james have been getting louder and louder. Same with the whispers that Los Angeles will chase after potential free agent Paul George (he can opt out of the last year of his deal with Oklahoma City), as George himself is a California native (he went to high school about 66 miles from where the Staples Center is located).
James and George aren’t the only players whom Los Angeles will keep an eye on. They’ll certainly talk to the San Antonio Spurs, to see if there’s any chance they could acquire disgruntled star (and LA-area native) Kawhi Leonard. Expect them to at least place a phone call to Kevin Durant’s camp, to see if there’s any chance they could get him to opt out of his two-year deal and maybe head down to Southern California (a highly unlikely chance, but there’s still a chance). Also expect Los Angeles to place an exploratory phone call to Oklahoma City’s front office, to see if there’s any chance in the world they’d trade Russell Westbrook (yet another Southern California native who went to college at UCLA).
Because of their brand name and their geographic and basketball-centric appeal, the Lakers will be the team whom the the entire NBA — and its fans — will be keeping a close eye on this summer. After all, the results of their continued housecleaning, as well as their “big game hunting,” will send large ripples through the rest of the league.
