Just one week ago, life in Lakerland felt like it was back on track. D’Angelo Russell, along with Jordan Clarkson, are predicted to lead the Lakers backcourt for the next ten years. Along with Russell, Anthony Brown and Larry Nance are two players who together can provide shooting, energy, athleticism, and defense. All the Lakers needed to do was to grab a big man from free agency to solidify their starting lineup and put them in contention for a playoff spot. Conveniently, this free agency period is all about big men, headlined by LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, Kevin Love, and DeAndre Jordan, with second tier players Tyson Chandler and Robin Lopez. Going into July 1, the Lakers were known to be one of the front runners to land Aldridge. Plus, there was a rumor that Kobe Bryant was communicating with Jordan, sparking some talk about Jordan being a Laker. Finally, the NBA free agency period began, and the Lakers were fortunate enough be the first to meet with Aldridge.
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Now, fast forward to today. The Lakers weren’t able to land a single one of these guys. Zero. Ziltch. Nada. After what seemed like eternity, the Lakers finally signed Lou Williams and Brandon Bass, mainly on the sheer need to actually fill out their roster. Right now, the Lakers starting lineup will consist of something like: Russell, Clarkson, Bryant (and who knows how many games he can realistically play), Julius Randle, and Roy Hibbert, their new center/plodder who was acquired via trade. Great. (I’m being sarcastic, of course.) So what in the name of Sam Hill happened?
It all began with the Lakers twitter account strangely posting a picture of singer Adam Levine rocking a LaMarcus Aldridge jersey as well as a tweet promoting their new hashtag #LAtoLA. Was this remnants of the Lakers campaign to recruit Dwight Howard to stay in L.A. a few years ago, a la #StayD12? Kind of, but a little stranger. The next day, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweeted that the Lakers “didn’t make a strong impression” on Aldridge during their meeting. Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times tweeted that Kobe Bryant and Aldridge “didn’t quite gel.” Breshanan went on to say that Bryant just spoke for a few minutes during the meeting, and envisioned Aldridge “as his (Pau) Gasol.” Huh? As a fan, I love and appreciate what Bryant has done as a Laker, but it doesn’t make much sense for a 36-year-old aging star to recruit free agents by saying he should be Bryant’s sidekick. Right after these reports came out, the Lakers tweets about Aldridge suddenly disappeared. They were deleted because other NBA teams complained about them. In their meeting, the Lakers focused on more “non-basketball” ideas with Aldridge (such as branding) which he didn’t care for. A few days later, the Lakers got a second meeting with Aldridge to try to save face, but Aldridge was reportedly not wooed by it. Aldridge went on to sign with the Spurs, who all along were the best basketball fit for him.
After the Lakers recruited Aldridge, a Lakers contingent flew to Washington D.C. to recruit Monroe. The Lakers, according to Wojnarowski, did not offer a full maximum contract. Why? I don’t know. They have the money. Monroe chose the Milwaukee Bucks, who made a strong commitment to him in his time as a free agent and because they were the most playoff ready. A player choosing Milwaukee over Los Angeles is something no one has really seen before, but this is the reality of the new NBA. Players want to win, and they can get off the court exposure playing in any city, not just Los Angeles. For example, Kevin Durant is in plenty of commercials, and he plays in the small market of Oklahoma City. The NBA is bigger and brighter, which is great for the league. But the Lakers don’t quite get that.
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Keep in mind, a maximum deal in the NBA today will be a cheap contract when the salary cap expands next year (because that’s when the NBA’s new TV deal kicks in). A max deal to Monroe (or to anyone this offseason) would not cash-strap the Lakers up in any way.
The Lakers presentation to DeAndre Jordan was “somewhat underwhelming” according to sources close in his camp. Jordan felt the Lakers were on a “whirlwind” in their efforts of recruiting. It is embarrassing, frustrating, and overwhelming to hear that a star like Jordan had sympathy for a powerhouse like the Lakers. But in the new NBA, the Lakers aren’t that powerhouse anymore.
Kevin Love, who possibly has interest with the Lakers due to his L.A. ties, was never made a priority. If he was, things could be different. I don’t even think the Lakers even made an offer to Love. Love resigned with Cleveland.
Tyson Chandler was quickly snatched by the Phoenix Suns. Robin Lopez chose the Knicks over the Lakers, which might be the most baffling signing of this free agency period. The Lakers had interest in Lopez, Lopez had interest in the Lakers, but no progress was made after that. Lopez signed with the Knicks for a four-year deal worth $54 million. The Lakers could have offered the same deal (or a bigger one) to Lopez, but they didn’t. Again, what the heck is happening?
Trying to regain some optimism about this bleak situation, I suddenly was all in on hoping the Lakers were going to start a “youth movement.” Tobias Harris would be the perfect candidate for this, as he is a young player who has improved every year in his time in the league. But no, Harris resigned with the Orlando Magic. If the Lakers offered Harris a max deal, they could have potentially him pulled away from Orlando (because he’s restricted). But, they didn’t.
In an interview in The Herd with Colin Cowherd, ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst summed up the Lakers disaster perfectly. (Disclaimer: I transcribed what Windhorst said the best I possibly could.)
"“The Lakers got put on blast yesterday by LaMarcus Aldridge, and I actually think it could be a key moment for them to step back and reevaluate. LaMarcus Aldridge said he was not impressed with their presentation, he was not impressed by their analytics they presented, and he was not impressed by their basketball situation. I’m going to leave Kobe out of this. The Lakers are living like it’s 2005, and LaMarcus Aldridge slapped them across the face yesterday and said ‘wake up’. It is now happened three years in a row: Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge. At some point the Lakers are going to have to look in the mirror and realize it is not 2005 anymore. Dr. Buss is not with us. Kobe Bryant is not in his prime. You need to do things differently, you need to make adjustments, you need to invest in this organization. The Lakers, from all the money they bring in from a television standpoint and ticketing, are in the stone ages of investment in sports science, in analytics…. He (Aldridge) was talking about the quality of stats presented compared to a team like Portland, Houston, or San Antonio. Absolutely a shot across the bow for the Lakers and it is time for them to pay attention.”"
This is a lot to digest. The Lakers need to get with the times, and put to rest that “Hollywood and exposure” are good enough reasons to get players to play for them. They need to buy into analytics, a trademark of the new-aged NBA. Next season will be another forgettable one for Lakers fans. Just to add, the Lakers first round pick will now go to Philadelphia unless the Lakers finish in the bottom three, which is actually looking more possible the way things are going. “Team tank” may need a bigger tank. Jim Buss, your seat is hotter than ever. You now have two years to get it together, or you’re gone. Time is not on your side.