Since taking over for Jerry West as the Lakers’ General Manager prior to the 2000-01 season, Mitch Kupchak has made some of the most memorable and successful transactions in team history. Kupchak first made his splash as the team’s G.M. by signing Karl Malone and Gary Payton in 2003, and he has recently formed a Big Four in Los Angeles, bringing Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to town to join forces with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
In the following pages, I have ranked all of the major player transactions Kupchak has made throughout his tenure as G.M. of the Lakers.
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12. Almost Acquiring Chris Paul: December, 2011: Before we talk about all of the wonderful deals Mitch Kupchak has helped make happen that were actually approved, let’s recognize the one which was eventually vetoed by Commissioner David Stern. Despite the Chris Paul trade of December, 2011 being thwarted, we still have to give Kupchak his credit. The man worked his magic to bring arguably the best point in the game to the Lakers. It’s not his fault those “basketball reasons” intervened.
Now that the Lakers have Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, the vetoed CP3 trade seems like ages ago. I think the Lakers would rather have a nucleus of Kobe, Pau, Nash and Howard than Kobe, Paul and Bynum any day of the week.
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Next Page: Lakers re-sign backup big man
11. Re-signing Jordan Hill: July, 2012: At the trade deadline last season, the Lakers dealt Derek Fisher to the Houston Rockets, in an effort to make room for the newly acquired Ramon Sessions. In the Fisher trade, the Lakers received reserve big man Jordan Hill. Hill, who was the eighth overall pick in the 2009 draft, was thought to be nothing more than a throw-in. But by the start of the postseason, Hill had earned a spot in Mike Brown’s rotation.
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Hill was courted by many teams this off-season, but he and Kupchak ultimately reached an agreement to keep the forward in Los Angeles.
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Next Page: Kupchak strengthens the team’s bench
10. Signing Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks: July and August, 2012: One of the Lakers’ biggest weaknesses last season was their poor bench play. The Lakers ranked dead last in bench production in 2011-12, averaging 20.5 points per game. The signings of both Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks should hopefully quell many of the team’s bench woes. Jamison, despite his age, averaged 17 points a contest last season, almost as much as the Lakers’ entire bench.
Jamison looks to be the team’s new sixth man, and will likely serve as a member of the starting lineup while Dwight Howard is out nursing his surgically repaired back to begin the season.
Meeks, a three-year veteran from Kentucky, brings many things to the table. For starters, he will be a consistent backup for Kobe at the shooting guard position, something the team didn’t have last season. Meeks will also hopefully add consistent outside shooting and athleticism on the perimeter.
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Next Page: UCLA alum comes to town
9. Trading For Trevor Ariza: November, 2007: Mitch Kupchak dealt Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to the Orlando Magic for Trevor Ariza in November of 2007. Ariza missed the majority of his first season with the Lakers with an injured foot.
2008-09 was a different story.
Trevor played in all 82 games for the Lakers in 2008-09, becoming the team’s starting small forward by the end of the season. Ariza increased his scoring average by three points a contest during the 2009 postseason, playing a huge role in the Lakers winning the 2009 title.
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Next Page: A sentimental favorite returns
8. Signing Derek Fisher: July, 2007: Derek Fisher spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the team win three consecutive championships. After a three-year absence, in which Fisher played with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz, Fisher re-joined the Lakers in the summer of 2007.
Fisher asked the Jazz to release him from his contract so he could find the best medical care for his daughter, who was suffering from cancer in her eye. Kupchak was smart enough to complete Fisher’s return to Los Angeles. D-Fish, both a favorite of the fans and Kobe Bryant, helped the team win two more titles in 2009 and 2010.
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In the 2009 Finals against Orlando, Fisher hit two clutch three-pointers against the Orlando Magic in Game 4, one at the end of regulation and one at the end of overtime, giving the Lakers a commanding 3-1 series lead.
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Next Page: A big gamble pays off
7. Signing Metta World Peace: July, 2009: Shortly after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic for the 2009 NBA championship, Trevor Ariza, who played a big role in the Lakers winning the title, left Los Angeles for a bigger payday with the Houston Rockets.
Kupchak didn’t waste a second filling the new void at the small forward position. After Ariza’s departure, the Lakers’ GM signed free agent Metta World Peace. Signing World Peace to replace Ariza was at first a debatable transaction, given World Peace’s sketchy past.
As the 2009-2010 season progressed, World Peace proved his worth. During the postseason that spring, Metta hit a game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns in a crucial Game 5 between the two teams, and he was arguably the MVP of Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, scoring 20 points, including a huge three-pointer in the waning moments of the game.
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Say what you want about World Peace’s less-than-perfect performances the last two seasons, but had Kupchak not signed the mercurial forward in ’09, the Lakers would likely have one less championship.
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Next Page: The Mailman and the Glove
6. Signing Karl Malone and Gary Payton: July, 2003: After the Los Angeles Lakers were dispatched in six games by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, Mitch Kupchak went to extreme measures to improve his roster.
Before it was an NBA trend for big market NBA teams to form big threes and fours, Kupchak broke the mold in the summer of 2003, signing free agent stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to join Kobe and Shaq. Early expectations were naturally huge. Some predicted the team would 70 games and have a cakewalk to the 2004 championship.
The season proved to be one of the most tumultuous in team history. Kobe and Shaq’s feud reached an all-time high, Kobe split his time between the basketball court and legal court. Payton and Phil Jackson clashed, and Karl Malone played through the NBA Finals with an injured leg.
The season ultimately ended in disappointment. The Lakers were upset by the Pistons in the Finals, and the team’s core was broken-up during the offseason. Malone, Payton, Shaq, Derek Fisher and Rick Fox would not be on the roster the following season.
But the additions of Payton and Malone can’t be considered a complete disappointment. The Lakers did win the Western Conference, in addition to possibly setting the template for the current “Superteams” we see today.
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Next Page: A legend leaves town
5. Trading Shaquille O’Neal: June, 2004:
Following the tumultuous 2003-04 season, the Lakers had to make a decision whether to keep Shaq or Kobe in a Lakers’ uniform. It was apparent they weren’t going to be able to keep both, given the duo’s intense rivalry. Kupchak and the Lakers made the decision to trade Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat. In return, the Lakers received Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, a 2006 first round draft pick (which turned into Jordan Farmar, who helped the team win two championships) and a second round pick in the 2007 draft.
At first glance, the trade didn’t seem to bode well for the Lakers. Butler and Grant only played one season for the Lakers, the team was largely mediocre for the first three seasons after trading Shaq, and Kobe Bryant was not a happy camper, demanding to be traded after the 2006-07 season.
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But in hindsight, the team made the right move in keeping Kobe. Since the trade Kobe has helped the Lakers win two championships, compared to just one for Shaq,who captured one with the Miami Heat in 2006. Also, Lamar Odom ended up being the team’s “X-Factor” off the bench during the team’s championship years in 2009 and 2010.
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Next Page: The Garden State’s golden child
4. Drafting Andrew Bynum: June, 2005: Following a disappointing 2004-05 season, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in the rare position of being a lottery team. With the 10th overall pick in the 2005 Draft, the Lakers selected Andrew Bynum.
Due to being injured the majority of the time, Bynum never really found his rhythm with the Lakers. The young center had his best season in 2011-12, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds, being selected to his first All-Star Team in the process. Bynum’s biggest claim to fame, however, could be the fact he helped the team land Dwight Howard. If Howard ends up following in the footsteps of other famous Laker big men (Wilt, Kareem, Shaq), Bynum could me more popular than he ever was while actually wearing a Lakers uniform.
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Next Page: The Lakers acquire the point guard they’d been looking for
3. Acquiring Steve Nash via Sign and Trade: July, 2012: I will always remember this past 4th of July for the fireworks Mitch Kupchak set off at around 7:00 p.m. PT.
As everyone’s barbecue was settling, news broke the Lakers had acquired Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns via sign and trade. The Lakers suddenly went from being a team not considered a true title contender to being thrust right back into the championship conversation.
Now, for the first time arguably since Magic Johnson was running the show in the 1980s, the Lakers don’t have to cross their fingers for point guard production on a nightly basis. Nash, one of the best point guards ever and a two-time MVP, will have Kobe, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard at his disposal next season. There is no reason to believe he doesn’t have a great chance of leading the league in assists in 2012-13. Nash was second only to Rajon Rondo in assists per game last season, playing with a less than stellar supporting cast in Phoenix.
What makes the deal all the more better is the fact the Lakers only gave up a handful of future first and second round draft picks to acquire Nash.
For the first time in his career, Kobe Bryant will have a great point guard to share the backcourt with.
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Next Page: The Lakers become relevant again
2. Trading for Pau Gasol: February, 2008: Before Andrew Bynum suffered a season ending knee injury in the middle of the 2007-08 season, the Lakers were off to their best start since trading Shaq in the summer of 2004, and most importantly, Bynum was starting to play like the team hoped he would when they drafted him 10th overall in 2005. Bynum was then averaging career highs in points (13) and rebounds (10).
After their big man went down, things looked bleak for the remainder of the season. Then on a chilly night in February of 2008, Mitch Kupchak pulled the proverbial rabbit out of his hat, acquiring Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. Amazingly enough, Kupchak didn’t have to part with any key players to land the All-Star forward. The Lakers gave up Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Pau’s brother Marc Gasol, and first round picks in the 2008 and 2010 drafts.
Gasol helped lead the Lakers to three NBA Finals and back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, in addition to being an integral part of the team’s newly formed “Big Four.”
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Next Page: Ding-dong, the Dwightmare is over
1. Trading For Dwight Howard: August, 2012: 1967 was The Summer of Love, 1997 was The Summer of George and 2012 should be remembered as The Summer of Mitch. A month after acquiring former MVP Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns, Kupchak traded for Dwight Howard, sending Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It may seem dicey having the Howard trade as the best Kupchak transaction, considering he hasn’t played one game. But with Howard, the Lakers not only have a player they can benefit from now, but they also have a player they can potentially build around when Kobe, Pau and Nash ride into the sunset.
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Just landing Nash or Howard would have been deemed a successful off-season for Kupchak and the rest of the front office. The fact they landed both players is truly incredible. Especially when one considers they gave up such little in the process.
The Lakers now have a “Big Four” consisting of: Nash, Howard, Kobe and Pau, arguably one of the best starting lineups of all-time. There have been plenty of games and championships won on paper. The Lakers now must live up the lofty expectations that have been put into place.
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