Projecting L.A. Lakers’ 2013 Free Agency Big Board

Free agency 2013 will be a crucial affair for the Los Angeles Lakers. Barring some unforeseen miracle, it will come on the heels of an unequivocally disappointing 2012-13 campaign.

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace headline an aging core that will be yet another year older heading into next season. With the contracts of Bryant, Gasol and nearly every other Laker coming to an end in the summer of 2014, this offseason will be the Lakers' last chance to turn their current roster into a title contender.

When considering who L.A. should target in free agency, we must keep in mind the all-important salary cap. The Lakers are over the cap and figure to be well into luxury-tax territory by the time they turn their attention to bringing in new free agents.

That means the only contracts the Lakers can hand out to players not already on the roster are minimum deals and about $1.6 million of the taxpayer's exception that they have left.

So although the Lakers would much rather have Andre Iguodala (who has an early termination option) than Randy Foye, the salary Iggy would command on the open market far exceeds what L.A. can actually pay him.

That's why Foye makes this list while Iguodala does not.

The Lakers' biggest needs are for shooting and athleticism on the wings, which is why this list is made up almost exclusively of those types of players. Players are ranked according to basketball fit and the likelihood that they would sign for the amount of cash the Lakers can throw their way.

This then, is what the top 10 on the Lakers' 2013 free agency Big Board looks like.

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