Even following a disappointing and uncharacteristic 27-55 season, L.A. did not enter this summer with rebuilding in mind at all. Kobe Bryant's contract, worth $48.5 million over the next two years, sets the mandate: He's the cornerstone of this team, and the rest of the available cap space will be devoted to piecing together a winner around him.
Enter veteran aid in the form of Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin and Ed Davis, as well as Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson via the draft. It will be up to them to compensate for the losses of Pau Gasol and Jodie Meeks, among others, and to complement Kobe in his final championship pursuits.
That task is daunting, and the Lakers will need these offseason pickups to gel and play their best basketball right away. Whether that will happen is another matter.
All past NBA stats courtesy of NBA.com. All college stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. All salary information courtesy of ShamSports.com.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
