Lakers Must Be Willing To Outspend Competitors This Summer

The Lakers’ starting line-up for the first game of the 2014-15 season was Jeremy Lin and Kobe Bryant at guard, Wesley Johnson and Carlos Boozer at forward, and Jordan Hill at center. If the team is to improve its fortunes next season, it is obvious that an entire new starting line-up is required, with the exception Bryant, who should come off the bench but won’t (then again, he probably won’t make it through the season).

The process of finding new starters will begin on May 19 when the Lakers learn if they will have a top pick in the upcoming draft and if so where their selection will fall in the top five. The Lakers like to play games by trying to mislead their rivals about whom they prefer in the draft, but don’t let that fool you. If the Lakers pick first or second they will take a center (Towns or Okafor). If they choose third or fourth it will be a guard (Mudiay or Russell). If they draft fifth it will be a small forward (Winslow). If they fall lower than five, they lose the top draft choice, and there is no prospect of getting an opening day starter when one’s only selections are in the late first and second rounds.

-== Lakers Draft Evaluations: Comparing Then & Now ==-

There are prominent free agents this summer who could improve the Lakers’ plight. Memphis’ strong showing against Golden State makes it even more unlikely that Marc Gasol will leave the Grizzles. However, Portland’s early exit from the playoffs increases the odds that LaMarcus Aldridge will consider his options this summer. Kevin Love’s injury increases the chances he may look around. Jimmy Butler’s future in Chicago may depend on whether the Bulls are willing to pay another player a max contract. These are just a few of the many important players who may be available this summer who could help turn things around more quickly for the Lakers.

The biggest question is, how will the Lakers be able to convince any of these stars to join their presently barren roster? Stars want to play with other stars. They want to play for a popular coach (Doc Rivers) or a great one (Greg Popovich). They want a chance to win in the short term. The Lakers offer none of these attractive features, thus on a level playing field the odds of landing a top flight free agent are slim.

The Lakers do, however, have one ace they can play, a weapon no one else can match. It is the only thing which gives them a competitive edge, if they choose to use it: Money — lots of money. In fact, they are reported to be the most valuable and profitable franchise in the NBA. This is not about cap space, it is about having enough money to exceed the cap in an all-out effort to sign the best players available. Otherwise, why would anyone in his right mind join this downtrodden franchise if not for money?

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Historically, the Lakers have never placed much emphasis on the draft. They attracted prominent players, and won titles by outspending everyone else. At one point they were paying the approximate sum of $30,000,000 per year to Bryant, $19,000,000 per year to Gasol, and $15,000,000 per year to Andrew Bynum. They paid big money to Lamar Odom, and before that to Shaquille O’Neal, still leaving plenty of money in Jerry Buss’ bank account to sign quality role players like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, and many others. Buss had no problem exceeding the luxury tax threshold because he knew the team would earn it back, and more so, by making a deep playoff run and thus generating more revenue. That was before the Time Warner Cable deal, which pays the team a huge amount of money each year making it certain they will remain valuable and profitable no matter how bad the team on the floor performs.

Thus, the roster may be uninspiring but the bank account balance is impressive. What it comes down to is this: NBA players like money, and that is one thing the Lakers have to offer.They can outspend everyone this offseason especially if they are willing to pay the luxury tax. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement the penalty is much more serious than it was before, so no one wants to pay the tax and it will be painful to do so even for the Lakers. I don’t make light of the situation, but desperate times require desperate measures, and these are desperate times. The cap is going up significantly in a year, so the situation will not last forever. In the short term, it might be necessary to gulp hard and pay the piper.

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The big prize, the one the Lakers are said to covet above everyone else, is Kevin Durant, who will be a free agent after this next season. Durant is not going to come to a Lakers team that resembles the last two rosters. For that reason, the team must make moves this summer to find new starters whom Durant will want to play with. I do not favor overpaying for mediocre talent, but for top talent, the Lakers should be willing to offer top dollar even if that means they have to exceed the cap and pay luxury tax. What may seem like a big contract next season may be modest when the cap is raised significantly the following year.

If the Lakers are serious about turning things around sooner rather than later they can afford to exceed the cap for one year. The penalty may be punitive in the short term but for the franchise’s long-term health and welfare it is good business. If the Lakers decide instead to play it safe this summer, next season’s team may end up looking very much like the last roster with similar results in the standings. This could have a disastrous impact not only on next year, but on many years to come.

Next: Lakers Draft Evaluations: Comparing Then & Now