Things have not gone the Los Angeles Lakers way this season leading many fans to already begin looking ahead to the off-season in hopes of some positive changes, which is where general manager Mitch Kupchak will need to work his magic.
Many are looking towards the team’s top-three protected draft pick in hopes of landing top prospect, Ben Simmons, but the Lakers will also be looking at free agency in hopes of making a big splash.
If they are to do that, however, Kupchak believes the Lakers must develop an identity for free agents to consider them as he told Sirius XM NBA Radio:
Mitch Kupchak tells us the #Lakers have to develop an identity with their young players & veterans for free agents to look at them #Lakers
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 2, 2015
The Lakers have failed to lure in their intended targets in free agency the last couple of off-seasons, in large part because there is no clear direction for the roster. The young players had proven very little and no one knew what to expect from Kobe Bryant. This led to meetings like the one with LaMarcus Aldridge in which the team focused more on off-court opportunities than actual basketball.
The biggest prize of this off-season is clearly Kevin Durant, and the Lakers will surely be looking to bring him to Los Angeles, though so will the majority of the NBA. Either way, the Lakers will have an improving young core, possibly another top-three pick, and enough cap room to offer two players max contracts. Nothing is guaranteed, but this does seem like the Lakers best chance to really make an impact in free agency.
