Even amid spectacular free-agent failures the past three years - or four, depending on the point of view - the Los Angeles Lakers remain the ever-hopeful franchise.
CBS Sports reported that the Lakers, jilted by Dwight Howard in 2013, by Carmelo Anthony in 2014 and by LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015, will be in the running for the services of 2016 free-agent to be Kevin Durant next summer.
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"Most league execs informally polled here at Summer League expect Durant to stay in Oklahoma City when he hits the market next summer," CBS Sports reported. "There are only a handful of teams that can legitimately think they're an option. The Lakers, the Mavs and the Wizards (in Durant's hometown) are in the mix, for starters. The Knicks? I mean, I guess, in theory."
Those are big words for a franchise that was supposed to be a front-runner for Aldridge's services at the start of the free-agency period on July 1 but whiffed on two presentations to land the Portland Trail Blazers free agent.
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Aldridge ultimately signed with the San Antonio Spurs, who are in much better shape as a franchise right now than are the Lakers, but Aldridge declared the Lakers out of the running before he even met with the Spurs.
The last three seasons have been major disappointments for the storied franchise, after it landed Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash in 2012. But the signing of those two stars only brought disappointment as the Lakers scrambled to make the playoffs and were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round with Nash and Kobe Bryant both out with injuries.
Lakersnation.com reported that despite the disappointment of missing out on a big name this summer, the team still improved itself with the additions of 2014-15 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert and Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass.
"With a solid showing during the 2015-16 NBA campaign, the Lakers could intrigue Durant once he's officially a free agent a year from now," lakersnation.com reported. "Durant will be aggressively pursued by the Washington Wizards along with potentially many more teams better suited to win now, but Los Angeles has an opportunity to bring in their next superstar and they'll go all out to do so."
The Lakers, however, better be researching what interests Durant right now. If Bryant is tempted to stay with the prospect of teaming up with Durant, he also better be fully prepared to pass the mantle - something that he has refused to do in his involvement with previous Lakers free-agency chases.
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