Even with a payroll well beyond the league's luxury tax threshold, Lakers owner Jerry Buss gave general manager Mitch Kupchak his blessing to go out and add pieces to a team coming off back-to-back NBA championships and gunning for a three-peat.
Kupchak returned from free agency with a brand-new bench for his Lakers, which now includes the likes of Steve Blake, Theo Ratliff, and Matt Barnes.
Add Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown to the mix, and Los Angeles' second unit goes from being the biggest weakness of last year's squad to yet another strength on what should be another title-contender.
Lost in the fray, however, is who isn't on the team anymore. The absence of such roster-fillers as Josh Powell, DJ Mbenga, and Adam Morrison won't necessarily register on the radars of most fans.
But there's one name that Laker fans are sure to mourn the loss of more than any.
Jordan Farmar.
After four illustrious years playing for his hometown team, Farmar did not receive a qualifying offer from the Lakers at the start of the summer, thereby making him an unrestricted free agent and allowing him to seek out more playing time and a role in an offense that suits his talents better.
Following a long and strenuous courtship process that left Farmar Nation teeming with anticipation and anxiety, the Taft High legend decided to take his talents to the Meadowlands.
That's right, the NBA's third-best Jewish player (behind Amar'e Stoudemire and Omri Casspi) signed a three-year, $12 million deal to do what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, David Lee, and Carlos Boozer (among others) were all too cowardly to even consider.
Lead the New Jersey Nets back to NBA relevance.
And while Laker fans will certainly miss Jordan and wish him well in his future with the Nets, they may...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
