One year after making a series of blockbuster moves, the Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise at a crossroads.
The Lakers struck fear into the hearts of rivals when they acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash within the span of a month, but the tables have turned.
Those splashy transactions were thought to have major implications. Namely, they would allow Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to remain competitive in the short-term while simultaneously adding a key building block for the future.
Instead, the Lakers' bounty of superstars struggled to coexist, and thanks to some untimely injuries, their championship road map was subsequently crumpled up and tossed in the trash.
The Lakers' aggressive pursuit of instant gratification has left them in a tough spot. They have essentially no cap room (just over $78 million committed thus far in 2013-14 salaries), but they must pursue re-signing Howard at all costs.
However, even if Howard does choose to decline enticing offers, as CBS Sports' Ken Berger says he might, from a group likely consisting of Houston, Dallas and Atlanta to return to L.A., the Lakers will be right back to where they were last season.
The guts of the roster that failed the Lakers last season would be the same, and making a blockbuster move this summer just doesn't seem possible given the financial constraints.
We saw what happened when the Lakers tried to overhaul their roster last season, so perhaps it would be best for Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss to make some low-risk moves that improve the team's depth.
One way to jump-start the process would be to shed salary in any way possible.
While the Lakers don't have many large salaries they can dump, they do have the ability to make a series of small moves that would allow them to pay off some of the tax they owe. However, any change they do pocket wo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
