Such a notion speaks to the disastrous past trips to the market that left the roster drained, and to the weight the organization is set to throw behind a full rebuild after three years of smart draft picks.
While speaking with the media about the team's plan this summer, new head coach Luke Walton had a straightforward approach, per Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com.
"A lot of that comes from veteran leadership. I think that we will be searching out some guys like that. Obviously with the cap space we have, we’ll be searching out some All-Star-caliber players as well. You kind of try to make a nice mixture of all that," Walton said.
With that theme in mind, let's take a look at the latest rumors, which offer a brief look back before turning toward the market's opening.
Missed Draft Opportunities
By most accounts, the Lakers hit it out of the park during the draft, selecting Duke's Brandon Ingram at No. 2 and Croatian center Ivica Zubac at No. 32.
No complaints. Ingram is a potential All-Star who averaged 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while hitting 41.0 percent of his three-pointers as a freshman. Zubac, on the other hand, comes in at 7'1" and 240 pounds and, while raw, could be the future at the position should he develop as a rim protector.
Maybe the only thing folks could claim as a negative is that the team didn't have more selections, though according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, the team tried to add more:
Look, another second-round pick might not have made the biggest difference, but it's nice to know the organization continues to be aggressive in its pursuits.
Perhaps more important is the notion that the Lakers wouldn't give up a future draft pick, which means the team was ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
