The biggest question for the Lakers this off-season revolves around where Dwight Howard will decide to sign. Will he re-sign with the Lakers or will he opt to sign with another team who presents an offer that is enough to sway him?
It will but another busy summer for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, as he will not only have to navigate through the uncertainty of Dwight’s future in Los Angeles, but he will to put together a competitive team with a very limited amount of capital due to salary cap restrictions.
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However, first comes handling the Dwight situation in which Kupchak admitted to Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell that moves in the off-season by the Lakers will be dependent on the superstar center’s decision.
MT: It would seem that you can’t do much planning or looking at the roster for next season until Howard makes his decision? Does that dictate everything else?
Kupchak: If there’s one thing we’re looking at this summer, it’s what Dwight is going to decide to do. That is the major moving piece. That will determine a lot about what we do. It’s the one decision we will have to wait on. Then we will try to have a plan a, plan b, plan c depending on what happens. It moves quickly, so it’s not like you can go to a plan b with certainty. There will be 29 other teams looking to improve their teams on July 1. But all of the “what if” scenarios will be talked about, reviewed and ready to go. We spend a lot of time on those what ifs, contingency plans. Every day brings more information in this league – coaches get signed up, and so on, which gives you more insight into what may happen in the summer. But when we get closer to the draft and July 1, it gets more juicy.
It seems as though potential moves will be put on hold until Dwight either agrees to terms with the Lakers or with some other team. This will most likely include their decision to either use their amnesty provision or hold onto it for another year. However, it appears the Lakers will have backup plans ready to go if they aren’t able to re-sign Howard.
Having a solidified roster is important to have in order to know what you are dealing with and to be able to create your game plan and goals. It is also why Mitch Kupchak has urged that come July 1, the sooner Dwight decides where to sign, the better for everyone.
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