The Los Angeles Lakers are having a nightmare season on the court, but the fact remains that they are still the Lakers, leaving them capable of overnight rebuilding jobs that other teams could only dream of. That may be exactly what the team has in store this offseason, and the rest of the NBA may need to watch out.
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The Lakers will get injured shooting guard Kobe Bryant back next year, as well as their 2014 first-round draft pick, Julius Randle, who has missed nearly the entire season. The team will likely have a high lottery pick this year, allowing them to add another young franchise cornerstone. Oh, and they may add some of the biggest names available in free agency.
According to Basketball Insiders, the team is expected to have upwards of $20 million dollars in cap room, and that is before they work any salary cap magic to increase that number. It would be enough to sign at least one star free agent, and there appear to be several interested in heading to L.A.
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The biggest name is Kevin Love, who has long been rumored to want to play in Los Angeles after growing up in Southern California and playing college ball at UCLA.
Rajon Rondo will also be a free agent this summer, and not only is he a huge fan of Kobe, but rumors have swirled for months that he wants to head west.
Greg Monroe is also developing into a nice young player for Detroit, and while there are no rumors connecting him to the Lakers, he is an unrestricted free agent after the season, and he is reportedly willing to meet with Los Angeles.
The Lakers do not have the cap room to sign all three, but signing two is not out of the realm of possibility, particularly since Rondo is believed to be the team's top target.
Obviously fans will have to wait until the summer to see what happens, but it certainly looks like the Lakers will once again have legitimate playoff aspirations next season.
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