With one of the NBA's highest payrolls, at $83 million towards the cap, according to Spotrac, Los Angeles doesn't have much cap flexibility for this year's class. But with Steve Nash representing the only guaranteed contract for next season, the Lakers will have all the cap space they could possibly ask for.
Of course the ideal situation for Lakers Nation would be to use that cap space to lure LeBron James from his throne in Miami—a scenario that seems like a long shot.
If that doesn't work, it appears that Carmelo Anthony could be option No. 2, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times speculates.
The Anthony-to-the-Lakers chatter isn't just speculation though. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reports via Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles that the odds are "50-50" that the Knicks star decides to leave New York for Los Angeles next season:
After missing out on a potential building block for years to come in Howard, the potential for the league's scoring champion donning the purple and gold has to sound so appealing. But bringing in the star forward may not be as great a move as anticipated.
Here's why.
Not Enough Touches for Kobe and Carmelo
As great as the combination of Kobe Bryant (27.3 points per game) and Carmelo Anthony (28.7 points per game) would appear to be on paper, there are serious questions as to whether it would actually work in the context of an offense.
Both are prolific scorers, but both need the ball in their hands to succeed.
Accoridng to ESPN's advanced statistics (insider subscription required), Anthony (32.2) was No. 1 and Bryant (30.0)...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
