The LA Lakers have high expectations for the season with Kobe Bryant coming back healthy and if the team doesn't look at a trade this year, next summer they are going to be targeting names like Greg Monroe, Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio and Marc Gasol after Kevin Love was traded and this comes after Steve Nash was injured and that means Jeremy Lin will be starting at point guard.
The Lakers won just 27 games last season and while they likely will not be making the playoffs, they should be better with Byron Scott coming in. The LA Times reports that the Lakers will be looking to make a big push in free agency next summer and names like Greg Monroe, Ricky Rubio and Rajon Rondo all could be targets. The team mostly sat out of things with the big names this summer apart from Carmelo Anthony and with Kevin Love already in Cleveland, they have other targets to look at in 2015.
This year the Lakers brought back leading scorer Nick Young and they also signed Carlo Boozer to help with the loss of Pau Gasol. Boozer is in on a one year deal and Lin was acquired in the final year of his contract. With Steve Nash likely out for the season with a back issue, Lin is going to start the season as the top point guard and that could keep him from getting moved. Last season Young led the team in scoring and with Bryant coming back, he likely will take that over again.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers are planning to make a hard run at free agency next summer, as they will have a ton of cap space with money coming off of the payroll. The team has young players like Julius Randle, Nick Young and Ryan Kelly signed and while Kobe Bryant has a huge contract, the team will be rid of Steve Nash and Lin's deals next year. That is one reason why Nash (before his injury) and Lin could end up as trade targets and come next summer, names like Monroe, Rajon Rondo and Rubio could be in the mix for the Lakers.
Rubio is set to get an extension and while the Timberwolves are hoping to keep him, there is a good chance that they won't agree on a deal. The Lakers and Knicks have been mentioned as options for Rubio, while the same goes for Rondo and Monroe. The Knicks, Celtics and Lakers will be three teams with money to spend, as they all will be shedding big contracts. The teams had hoped that Kevin Love would be available, but he clearly will not be after he was traded to the Cavaliers.
The Lakers were a mess last season without Bryant and now they are getting him back and that could change the trajectory of the year for LA. Scott is trying to give the team a new identity and after being one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season, he has been pushing hard this summer and in the preseason for the team to play better overall on the defensive end of the floor. The Lakers will have to improve a lot to make the playoffs, as the Suns won 48 games last season and still missed out in the west.
