The Los Angeles Lakers are suffering through what might be the worst season in the history of one of the NBA's proudest franchises. The team is going to finish with one of the worst records in the league, and they may not even have their first-round draft pick if the lottery balls do not bounce their way.
Still, the organization and its fans do not take losing lightly, and everyone will surely expect the Lakers to put together some kind of reload this summer. Having that high draft pick would obviously help, but the team will also get Kobe Bryant and 2014 first-rounder Julius Randle back from injury, and they will have money to spend on the free agent market.
Traditionally, the Lakers have been one of the best - if not the best - free agent destinations in the league. Players love to go play in L.A. for a number of reasons, including the beautiful weather, the glamour of the city, and the Hollywood lifestyle in general. According to Larry Brown Sports, Lakers head coach Byron Scott believes all of those factors will make Los Angeles one of the hottest free agent destinations this summer also.
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"You have a lot of free agents out there who would love to play for us. They've been making it pretty clear," Scott said. "You have guys during the games come by the bench saying, 'Hey Coach, I would love to be in L.A. next year.' That makes you feel good there are players out there that want to be here. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we're taking it in a different direction. They know this organization and the history of the organization is going to be back."
While rebuilding overnight is never easy in the NBA, the Lakers are one of the few franchises that could hope to do it. The team has a well-documented interst in Rajon Rondo, and many believe that they will be the favorites to land Kevin Love if he tests free agency as well.
"Obviously the one or two big free agents you can get, you'll have to sprinkle in some other guys that fill the roster that help you win as well," Scott said. "If you can hit a couple of doubles, that wouldn't hurt. But if we can hit a couple of home runs in free agency and the draft, we'll be on our way again."
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