For just the third time in 37 years, the Los Angeles Lakers missed out on the playoffs and in the process, finished with their worst record since moving from Minneapolis. Injuries to Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash played a major factor in their abysmal season as journeymen players filled their roster.
With only three players guaranteed under contract for the 2014-15 season and a ton of cap space, the Lakers figure to be one of the most aggressive teams this off-season as they are likely to undergo a massive facelift.
Los Angeles Lakers (27-55 last year)
2014-15 Projected Depth Chart:
C: Robert Sacre
PF: #Ryan Kelly
SF: #Kent Bazemore
SG: Kobe Bryant/^Nick Young
PG: Steve Nash/*Kendall Marshall
NBA Free Agents:
C-Pau Gasol (UFA)
PF-Jordan Hill (UFA)
SF-Xavier Henry (UFA)
C-Chris Kaman (UFA)
SG-Jodie Meeks (UFA)
SF-Wesley Johnson (UFA)
PG-Jordan Farmar (UFA)
SG-MarShon Brooks (UFA)
#PF-Ryan Kelly (RFA)
#SG-Kent Bazemore (RFA)
^SG-Nick Young (PO)
*PG-Kendall Marshall (TO)
2014-15 Team Salary: approximately $35.3 million
Team Needs:
1. Another Star:
If Kobe’s recent injury issues aren’t enough to scare you, how about the fact that he will be 36 years old by the start of the season. Even if he does return at 100%, you cannot expect the 27 points per night Kobe to re-emerge. Therefore, the Lakers need to find another star capable of being the alpha dog and they have the cap space to do so.
Carmelo Anthony’s name will certainly be linked to the Lakers in free agency and expect L.A. to come up in trade speculation with some of the best available players. Expect the team to be very active this off-season with their cap space and trying to swing a deal or two to add some veteran pieces in hopes of making one last ditch effort at getting Kobe another ring.
2. A frontcourt:
Robert Sacre is the lone post player under contract for next season so, yeah, the Lakers have to find some bodies inside. Unless Pau Gasol is willing to take a hometown discount, the franchise might be best off letting him walk. If L.A. ends up keeping the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, forwards like Kentucky’s Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon of Arizona, and Indiana’s Noah Vonleh should all be targets. Still, the team needs to find some veterans who can come in and contribute right away.
3. Defense:
As one would expect from a Mike D’Antoni coached club, defense was practically non-existent for the Los Angeles Lakers this past season as they allowed the second most points in the league. The aging Kobe and Steve Nash form a susceptible defensive backcourt so finding a rim protector and lockdown perimeter defender who can take some of the pressure off Kobe will be essential to the team’s turnaround.
4. Coaching Stability:
The last two hires of Mike Brown and Mike D’Antonio haven’t exactly panned out so perhaps it is time to look in a different direction. Derek Fisher seems to be the hot name on the coaching search and the former Laker would make sense even though he is not technically retired yet. Other names have been floated around like Kurt Rambis and Alvin Gentry but those types of coaches have failed elsewhere and seem to be more of a short-term fix than long-term solution.
OTHER NBA OFF-SEASON TEAM NEEDS PAGES:
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.