The LA Lakers have made moves this summer for Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant and now the team may have more free agent options, including Michael Beasley, Jordan Crawford, Andrew Bynum and Chris Singleton on the market and while Eric Bledsoe or a Greg Monroe trade would be a dream, those moves are unlikely for Kobe Bryant and it's likely the team will look at adding some end of bench options over a big move.
The Lakers are coming into the season with high expectations despite the fact that they were terrible last year, as they have a new coach and an energized roster with Bryant coming back. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the team considered a deal for Eric Bledsoe and they also looked into Greg Monroe with the Detroit Pistons as a restricted free agent, but the team felt it wasn't worth it since the offer sheet likely would be matched. The team signed Carlos Boozer instead of going that route, as the offer sheets would have held the salary cap hostage for the time being.
The Lakers have been active on the free agent market and that should give the team a deeper roster and more versatile bench this year. The Lakers missed the playoffs last season and were pretty bad without a healthy Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash, but now the team looks set for a better season with Scott at the helm, as he wants to give the team a defensive identity and a strong offensive foundation. Having Bryant healthy is key and while he is not the player he once was, he still can make a great impact.
The Lakers signed back Nick Young and Ryan Kelly, keeping their leading scorer on a four year deal after Young had a career best season. The team also signed back Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry and they also now have Julius Randle to build around for the future. The team worked out Michael Beasley and they could look at signing him this offseason as well to add some more depth to the bench. Beasley was solid last season with Miami, averaging 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game for the Heat.
Last season the Lakers ranked 29th in points allowed per game and that simply won't get it done in the NBA and while the team was 11th in scoring, the defense was atrocious. Losing Pau Gasol hurts that and while Carlos Boozer is a solid player, he is not the same talent as Gasol, but he can make up for what he does on both ends of the floor and adding Ed Davis also will help with shot blocking. The team was 25th in rebounds per game and that is an area that should improve as well and having Boozer along with Davis, Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre should be a solid group in the middle.
The Lakers need a lot to break their way to be successful this season, but if Bryant stays healthy there is no reason to think why the team can't compete for one of the bottom playoff spots in the west. Last season the Suns had 48 wins and missed out, meaning the Lakers likely will have to be in that wheelhouse this year.
