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.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmoaDs9Q4N0
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