The LA Lakers have money to spend, but they are waiting for next summer to do it, as the free agent market could have names like Rajon Rondo, Eric Bledsoe, Ricky Rubio, Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge all could hit the market and they are potential targets for LA and that may come after Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash finish out their contracts this season.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers are planning on targeting a number of free agents on the market next summer and some names may include Rajon Rondo, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic. Bledsoe and the Suns have not yet been able to come to a contract agreement this summer and Rondo is also heading into free agency and could be a major target for the team if he opts to leave the Boston Celtics.
Bledsoe is looking for the five year max from the Suns and so far they have offered a four year deal and now the Lakers could look at him if he signs the one year qualifying offer. Signing that deal would make Bledsoe a free agent next summer and the Lakers would likely be on the top of the list as a team that could go after him along with the Knicks and Houston Rockets. Pro Basketball Talk reported that the Lakers considered offering a sign and trade for Bledsoe this summer, but they opted to continue building their roster instead.
Rondo is going to be a major target for a number of teams if he hits the market and right now it looks like he will. The Boston Celtics have him on the final year of his extension, but they want to see if he can stay healthy for a year after tearing his ACL before signing him long term. Rondo wants the same ting, as he wants to see where the team is in the rebuilding process before committing long term. It's likely that Rondo will look to hit free agency and that means trading him is harder, as he likely will not sign a new extension with that team.
The Lakers may not be a championship contender this season, but they have improved the talent on the roster considerably from last year. The team retained Nick Young after he led the team in scoring and also signed back Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly and Xavier Henry as well as Wesley Johnson to keep most of the bench intact. The team also added Jeremy Lin at point guard in a trade and signed Carlos Boozer after he was hit with the amnesty clause from the Bulls. Boozer is not as good or skilled as Pau Gasol, but his addition should make up for the loss of the big man and he can make an impact on both ends of the floor.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a new head coach in Byron Scott and a new point guard in Jeremy Lin after making a trade this offseason and now they could look at a Steve Nash trade down the line this year, while free agents like Michael Beasley, Andray Blatche, Jordan Crawford and Andrew Bynum remain on the market and could be options to join Kobe Bryant in LA.
