The Los Angeles Lakers missed on their top free agent prospects after LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, and Greg Monroe all agreed to sign deals with other teams. Despite the setback, the front office bounced back by trading for Roy Hibbert and negotiating contracts with Lou Williams and Brandon Bass.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
Among the reasons the Lakers were thought to be unattractive in big named free agents is the belief of Kobe Bryant not being a great teammate. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade took part in a Twitter Q&A Monday morning and when asked about the potential of playing with Bryant, he responded by welcoming the thought:
I have before..and why wouldn't you want to play with one of the games greatest winners??? The name of the game is.. https://t.co/3cnCdGVogU
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 6, 2015
Wade recently agreed to continue his career with the Heat after earlier opting out of his contract. He has spent his entire career in Miami and probably would have no immediate plans to leave. The Heat will be returning all of they key components to their roster with the team striking a deal with Goran Dragic and Luol Deng opting in. Chris Bosh will also make his return and should bolster their lineup.
As for the Lakers, they will continue to navigate the uncertainty of a rebuild. While the team has seemingly ran out of cap space to sign new players, there is still the possibility of attaining other assets through sign-and-trade deals. The Lakers currently have a young trio whom the team hopes will lead the team into future success. D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle will all play in the Las Vegas Summer League as it tips off July 10.
[divide]