Coming off a disappointing exit in the NBA Conference Semifinals to the eventual Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers need to find a way to keep their reputation as one of the game’s elites intact.
The current roster is built around Kobe Bryant, but the future Los Angeles squad will likely showcase the talents of Andrew Bynum. The question is, how long can these two keep this team in title contention?
Barry Stavro of the Los Angeles Times thinks that you can expect Bryant to continue to play at his highest capacity even at age 34. The Lakers should, however, look to acquire more young talent besides Bynum to run the team in the future.
They can do this by trading Pau Gasol—along with their second-round pick and cash considerations—to move into the first round and draft an impact player. FOX Sports’ Sam Amico has tweeted that the Lakers could move into the first round, since they have interest in Baylor's Perry Jones and Quincy Miller.
It’s good that the Lakers are targeting players with relatively high ceilings, but there’s basically zero chance that they fall to pick No. 60.
NBADraft.net predicts that Jones will be taken by the Boston Celtics at No. 21, while Miller will go to the Miami Heat with the No. 27 pick. The Lakers will have to trade up in order to even have a shot at either of those players.
Los Angeles are reportedly committed to moving Gasol, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, despite Lakers executive VP Jim Buss saying fans shouldn’t expect any major moves (per the Los Angeles Times).
If you have a team that didn’t win the NBA Finals, is only getting older and you don’t make any cha...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
