Lakers Off-Season: NBA Playoffs Could Have Major Impact
By Hannah Kulik
It has been rumored the past two seasons that the Lakers would be interested in signing Kevin Love when he becomes a free agent. Although his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer led to diminished expectations, the fact remains that Love will be a free agent when this season is over. But will he be interested in the Lakers? The answer may be impacted by his recent season-ending injury in the first round of the playoffs.
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Love had a rocky year. The team was playing poorly earlier in the season and fingers were pointed at him for not fitting in with his new teammates and accepting his diminished role on a team with two other superstars. Yet the team finished the year strong, as did Love, and it will be surprising if they do not make the finals even without him. If Love continued to play all the way to the finals – the first time he has even made it to the playoffs in his career — was he really going to walk away from that success? Would he really leave the Cavaliers to play for a terrible Lakers’ team? It was very unlikely.
However, now that he is out for the rest of the playoffs the situation has changed. He will not experience that bond with his teammates that only occurs for a team when they make a deep playoff run. If they win without him his pride will be hurt. If they don’t make it that far he may conclude LeBron James is no longer invincible and staying with Cleveland will not ensure any championships. In short, the fact he was unable to continue to bond with his team in the playoffs makes it more likely that he will at least consider other destinations this summer.
Soon-to-be free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol are expected to re-sign with their respective teams. The Trail Blazers and Grizzles have been very good for a while now, yet they have not made it to the finals. As good as they have been, is their window of opportunity closing? Portland just lost in the first round, which is a major disappointment for that franchise after last year’s success. Are doubts starting to creep into Aldridge’s mind about ever winning a championship in his current environment? Might he start to wonder about getting a fresh start elsewhere? Likewise, the heart of the Memphis line up has remained intact for a few seasons, yet they faded down the stretch during the regular season and while they won in the first round, it is unlikely they’ll emerge from round 2. If after several excellent seasons, Memphis has not gotten over the hump with Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Tony Allen, what will be different next season? Of course, if Memphis makes it farther than expected, –enough to provide real hope they could go all the way next season — how could Gasol walk away? On the other hand, if they lose yet again in the next round, might he possibly consider other options?
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The same can be said for DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers have struggled in the first round but will probably make it past San Antonio with the decisive seventh game played at home. If they get to the finals, why would he opt to leave in the offseason? If they do not, he might conclude that the Chris Paul/Blake Griffin/Jordan trio is for whatever reason not clicking as it should and he may be more receptive to other future possibilities. Kevin Durant, who will be a free agent next year, plays for a team that has been a championship contender for years, but has that window closed? Durant and Russell Westbrook are two of the top players in the league, and they have a strong supporting cast, but they have not won a championship even though they were the favorite at times. Durant and Westbrook have suffered injuries in recent seasons. When is it time to concede it isn’t going to happen for them with the Thunder? Could it be soon?
What about Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls? He is the small forward the Lakers desperately need. If the Bulls make it past Cleveland in the next round, it will be harder for him to leave. If they are eliminated, anything is possible.
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Other free agents like Greg Monroe and Goran Dragic did not make the playoffs this season. If they had, and if their teams did well enough to provide hope that next season might be the charm if they stick around, it is unlikely they would leave. As it stands, both might re-sign with their current teams who can pay them the most money, but they do not have the kind of emotional attachment to their current employers which only comes with winning a championship or getting close. Then there is Rajon Rondo, whose playoff performance with Dallas was a disaster. Despite his rocky stint in Dallas, if he was playing well and they made a deep run in the playoffs, all would have been forgotten and he would think long and hard before leaving. As it is, that is not going to happen and he’s certain to be gone.
These are all players the Lakers covet. The chances of the team signing any of them, though small, might just depend on what has happened, and will continue to happen. If you are a free agent on a team that is in serious contention for championship, it is much harder to leave that success behind when the season is over. On the other hand, if your team underachieved, and especially if it has been on the cusp of winning the past few seasons only to end in disappointment every year, when is it time to start thinking of a fresh start in a new city?
The Lakers are so bad it is hard to image any of these star players signing with the purple and gold this offseason. But with Portland already losing, and teams like the Clippers, Memphis and Chicago unlikely to make it past the second round, who knows how their free agents might react to another disappointing ending. Is it possible the Lakers could steal one of them? We’ll find out this summer.