The Los Angeles Lakers are in desperate need of some new blood. The storied franchise is entering the twilight of Kobe Bryant’s career and could be on the verge of missing the playoffs for a second straight season.
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After missing out on Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James in free agency this past summer, the Lakers must start looking to the future and other big-name players they may target. LaMarcus Aldridge could be one of those players heading into next summer.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers could make it difficult for the Portland Trail Blazers to sign their face of the franchise, via John Canzano of OregonLive.com:
“I really appreciate his growth knowing that it wasn’t that long ago that he was third fiddle to Roy and Oden and now he’s the guy. He worked to get there. I think Portland has to do everything in its power to make sure he’s happy, and that he stays. Where could he go? You’d think a place like the Lakers. There’s going to be some franchises that throw some money at him… I really hope that he and Dame get a chance to play for a long, long time.”
The Blazers will do everything within their power to re-sign Aldridge. Portland is on the cusp of potentially becoming a legitimate title contender in the Western Conference with a solid young core of players led by Aldridge and Damian Lillard.
Losing Aldridge will prove costly to the Blazers, but it’d be safe to assume Lakers will definitely come calling this summer in an attempt to pry him away from Portland. Aldridge will be joined by a few other potential free agent targets for the Lakers like Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Greg Monroe and Rajon Rondo.
Although there’s still 80 games left to play and anything can happen to change scenarios for these soon-to-be free agents, expect the Lakers to make a run at one or two of the big-name players mentioned above. A combination of Aldridge and Rondo could be a game-changer for the Lakers with Kobe Bryant heading into the last year of his deal.
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