With Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James both on the open market, teams are prepping their recruiting speeches to get at least one of the two players. The Houston Rockets are trying to make trades in order to sign both players. The Dallas Mavericks have already made one trade that gives them enough cap space to recruit both stars. Kobe Bryant is waiting for the Los Angeles Lakers to make the same move.
Early reports suggested that Bryant wanted no part in recruiting free agents this offseason. He attempted that method last year with Dwight Howard and failed miserably. However, Anthony and James are two of his good friends and now Bryant is singing a different tune. When asked on Twitter about the potential of adding both players, Bryant sent a cryptic responses saying, "They would be more than welcome to wear the Golden Armor #lakers #upgrade #nbaFA."
It is certainly not crazy to think that both players could sign on with the Lakers, but moves would have to be made in order for it to happen. Steve Nash is the x-factor in this. The point guard has barely been seen on the court over the past two seasons, much like Bryant. He is insisting he will play in 2014 and for the time being, the Lakers are honoring the final year of the point guard's contract. However, to sign Anthony and James, they have to get rid of Nash's contract.
Los Angeles has to clear $33 million in cap space to attract both Anthony and James. That is a lot of roster moves that need to happen to make it work and it starts with Nash. The point guard does not qualify for the amnesty clause. So the team would have to either escalate a trade and convince a team to take on a terrible contract and a player that may or may not be active this season or they would have to force Nash into retirement to wipe him off the books. Nash has said that right now he feels healthy, but if he feels differently come training camp, then he would consider retirement. By then it will be too late to acquire either James or Anthony.
The Lakers could make a trade for Nash work, but they would have to give up their No. 7 draft pick. They lack other assets to make any other kind of deal work. It is a lot to give up, but getting Anthony and James to pair with Bryant for the final two years of his career would be worth it.
