After pulling off two blockbuster trades and vastly improving the bench, GM Mitch Kupchak can finally take a lengthy vacation as he has done his job to the best of his ability. As if bringing in Pau Gasol in exchange for Kwame Brown wasn’t unbelievable enough and a total game-changer for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kupchak acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight this summer may have propelled him ahead of mentor Jerry West as the greatest GM in NBA history.
Now that the Lakers franchise is revamped with superstar talent and will be a legitimate NBA title contender moving forward, few moves if any will be made before next season as the team’s front office is satisfied with a historic off-season.
Chances are small at this point that the Lakers will bring in anymore free agents like Leandro Barbosa or Kenyon Martin. Both Barbosa and Martin have been rumored to be targets for the Lakers in free agency, but after agreeing to sign Jodie Meeks the wheeling and dealing will probably come to an end.
Perhaps the last move made by the Lakers will be locking up Devin Ebanks to a one-year deal.
Los Angeles intends to officially re-sign Devin Ebanks on Monday according to Mark Medina of L.A. Times:
“After taking his physical Monday at the Lakers’ training facility, forward Devin Ebanks will sign the Lakers’ qualifying offer that entails a one-year deal worth a little more than $1 million, according to his agent, David Bauman.”
Once the re-signing of Ebanks is official, the Lakers’ roster moves will be complete. Along with Ebanks, the recently acquired Meeks will also be taking his physical in Los Angeles and will sign his two-year deal immediately after.
Last season, Ebanks averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds for the Lakers. Ebanks hasn’t had much of a role in Los Angeles ever since being drafted out of West Virginia by the Lakers in the 2010 NBA Draft, but Lakers Coach Mike Brown and company were impressed enough with the 23-year-old small forward to keep him around for at least one more year.
Ebanks will share time at small forward with Metta World Peace, Antawn Jamison and Earl Clark next season.
