The Los Angeles Lakers entered this summer with big plans to improve the team through free agency, but for the third straight year those dreams came unfulfilled.
The Lakers are coming off the two worst seasons in franchise history and came into the offseason with a goal to revamp the team through the NBA Draft and the free agency period.
After coming up short on signing top-tier talent, general manager Mitch Kupchak said it didn't break the team's spirits, but it also was a learning experience.
"No, not at all. It wasn't demoralizing," Kupchak told reporters in a conference call on Thursday, according to ESPN. "It's a part of doing business. There are 30 very, very competitive NBA teams. All general managers are smart. They're armed with brilliant supporting staffs, owners that are very successful, and it's a very, very competitive market. It's unrealistic to think in this day and age that every time you go into the free-agent market that you're going to get exactly who you target."
The Lakers had hoped to nab All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who landed with the San Antonio Spurs and they whiffed after meeting with free agent big men Greg Monroe (Milwaukee Bucks) and DeAndre Jordan (L.A. Clippers).
Los Angeles managed to sign Toronto Raptors guard and 2014-15 sixth man of the year Lou Williams while they made trades for Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert.
The Lakers were chastised for their meeting with Aldridge going poorly, but Kupchak debunked that notion.
"I don't think the meeting was as bad as people have heard it was, nor do I think it was as good as we hoped it would be," Kupchak said. "I would just say, 'Live and learn.'"
After finishing a franchise-worst 27-55 in 2013-14, the Lakers set a new bar for futility last season, going 21-61 in another forgettable campaign.
Though their offseason was bumpy, Kupchak is excited with the makeup of his team.
"We have some great talent, but they're very inexperienced," he said. "And we have some players with a lot of experience, but they're not as young as they used to be. So it's not a perfect roster, but I like the balance of the roster."
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