Eight Lakers will be unrestricted free agents—nine if when Nick Young opts out—and two more will be restricted.
Obviously, L.A. won't be keeping all of them. So here are the four players, in order of importance, the Lakers shouldn't hesitate to let go this offseason.
Pau Gasol
It has to be done.
As much as Pau Gasol has meant to the Lakers organization, it's time to move on from the former All-Star big man.
Not that Gasol is finished as a player by any means.
He was still an offensive powerhouse in 2014, averaging over 17 points and three assists to go with nearly 10 rebounds per game.
And in his final 29 games before being slowed and eventually sidelined by injury, he put up an All-Star caliber line of 20.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per contest.
His 19.3 PER for the season placed him ahead of Chris Bosh and Tony Parker, among other luminaries.
Ironically, all that production is exactly why the Lakers shouldn't re-sign Gasol.
It will simply cost too much.
After proving he can still be a nightly double-double threat, Gasol will likely command a large salary that may extend into eight figures.
While he may be worth something close to that, tying up that much money for multiple years into a 34-year-old big man on the decline is not a smart move for the Lakers.
Re-upping Gasol would limit L.A.'s financial flexibility, not just this offseason, but in 2015 as well.
And his on-court play doesn't warrant making that kind of investment.
Gasol is still a brilliant offensive player, but his defensive value has slipped precipitously.
Although he tied his highest block ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
