Forum Blue And Gold

A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

Are the Lakers Already Faltering in Free Agency?

by


While the wooing won’t officially begin until midnight eastern time tonight, that doesn’t mean things aren’t already taking shape in free agency. Teams are making plans to meet with free agents and there are already reports of reciprocated interest among those targets to their linked teams.

The Lakers? Well, things aren’t quite shaping up as I’m guessing many would have hoped. We have already profiled potential targets a C and at SF the Lakers could use, but it seems some of those players have other plans in mind. Let’s get to the latest buzz:

So, not a lot of firm plans for the Lakers as of now. That does not mean things will stay that way, but the optics right now are not good. Especially coming on the heels of Kevin Durant not taking a meeting with the Lakers at all.

There has generally been a looseness in how “tampering” is interpreted when it comes to scheduling meetings as player representatives and teams make contact to schedule times to meet. As we have seen, teams already have these sit-downs on the books — Kevin Durant’s list of meetings (down to the day), have been known since at least Wednesday. I don’t think the league frowns on the making of these logistics.

One has to wonder if the Lakers are putting out these same feelers to free agents to get meetings scheduled or if they are waiting. If it’s the latter, that is, at least so far, not working in their favor. Last year there were leaks of the Lakers getting a meeting with Greg Monroe before free agency officially began, so it would not be out of character for them to reach out behind the scenes before the clock struck 12am.

(Update: Apparently, maybe the league isn’t so “loose” on whether the contact between teams and player reps to set up the logistics of these meetings is okay. Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting the NBA has been calling GM’s asking questions about meetings already set for Friday when the rules state there should be no contact before midnight. Maybe the Lakers are just following the rules? Hmmm.)

We will see how this plays out and whether things change in the coming 12-24 hours. But, as it stands now, it’s hard not to look at the way top FA’s are leaning and not be at least a little discouraged. Especially with the way the front office has portrayed their financial flexibility and ability to chase multiple high salaried players as a key element in their summer success.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Clay Bertrand says

    Its bad.  Although I will enjoy watching the young team develop and grow together, the opportunity to at least bring ONE IMPACT FA would seem to be this summer.  

    Its not over—but its looking like its going to be a highly lackluster offseason.  The Lakers players will be the highest paid scrubs around as each will make HUGE money just to bring us to the Salary Floor.  
    Maybe Kobe will come back for one more year?!?!!?!?!?!?!

    This clip is my sentiments at this time in a nutshell:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db_qXKBle08

  2. Msway says

    Pay al horford-nic batum-kent bazemore-timothy mozgov-Ryan anderson-bismark byombo-Brandon Bass Take 1 0f the centers and the other 4 and make a run to the eigth seed

  3. FredP says

    This is good news for the Lakers beyond next season.  The future “impact” players are the young ones the Lakers already have.  An earlier suggestion by Darius to find complementary players still holds.  Instead of trying to find players who are volume scorers, it would be more helpful to find players who are solid on the defensive end to come off the bench when needed.  The center position can be done by committee until Zubac is ready to take it over.  There are lesser centers out there who would be upgrades over the current roster.  Please, no to Parsons.  He was a talent as a hustle player but lost that with the knee surgeries.  Use some of the money surplus to buy Young out this year.  Dividing his salary over the next few years just prolongs the pain.

  4. Mid Wilshire says

    I’m not at all dismayed that they Lakers will not get a meeting with Kevin Durant.  There was never a chance that the Lakers would be landing him anyway.  Thoughts of the Lakers getting KD were mere pipe dreams.

    But I am disappointed that apparently the Lakers will not be meeting with Hassan Whiteside.  Reportedly, Whiteside will be meeting only with Dallas and Miami — both franchises, for what it’s worth, in states where there is no state tax.  So…that might be an issue.  I’m a bit surprised at this.  I’m also puzzled that Whiteside has indicated that he will make an immediate decision.  If true, this indicates to me that he may have already made up his mind.  If so, then I would say that Dallas’s chances of landing Whiteside are excellent.  If he has made up his mind, then there’s no reason to meet with the Lakers…or anyone else.

    The bright side of this is that the Lakers can quickly move on to a Plan B (or C) without wasting any time.  As I indicated in an earlier post, that Plan would involve the Lakers pursuing Biyombo (or Mahinmi) and Solomon Hill (or Evan Turner).  Both options would be good, solid, if unspectacular alternatives.  Batum, I believe will stay in Charlotte.  And I think that KD will stay in OKC (uless Golden State pursues him).

    Next year, then, will be all about developing the “kids.”  Let’s not fight it.  The Lakers are deep into re-building.  As such, they may not be an attractive destination to FAs for another year or 2.

  5. Busboys4me says

    You had to know that the Whiteside situation was going to turn out like that. He has made several comments about him having a good workout for the Lakers and us not signing him. He sounded really butt hurt and you knew that he was not coming back to the Lakers after that. Nicholas Batum not sitting down with the Lakers and only taking the phone call is better than nothing but he was always a longshot. Kent Bazemore has mentioned several teams that he’s interested in but the Lakers are not one of them, No Bueno. I’m still hoping that Biyombo will consider leaving Toronto given how hard they played their series. Technically he should stay in Toronto but that wouldn’t benefit us. We better re-sign Bass. We really need him. I just hope we don’t get down to the end of everything and sign a player like Chandler Parsons for the MAX. His injury history scares me even though, when healthy, he would be a great fit.

  6. Busboys4me says

    I really want to see last year’s pick Jonathan Holmes get a shot. The FO saw something in him to give him a two year deal. DraftExpress had an excellent interview with him. I can’t paste it for some reason though with this new format. Comments?

  7. BigCitySid10552 says

    – Off season is not starting off the way I hoped it would. Yes it’s still early, but no confirmed meetings yet isn’t encouraging.
    – Hopefully the Lakers own free agents will meet with them. Anyone hear about Bass? 
    – Did I happen to miss the Brandon Ingram intro press conf?

  8. slybly says

    Wow. Pretty harsh. Hard to believe the Mavericks with only Wesley Matthews and an old Dirk Nowitski can get meetings with Whiteside and Batum and we can’t. What does that say about us?

    I still like some of the options….Byombo and Mahinmi…Bazemore and Barnes….and some veterans like Marvin Williams, Jared Dudley and Courtney Lee. Re-sign Bass.

    We knew we weren’t getting some of these guys, and I dodn’t think Batum was coming anyway. And it actually helps us not to waste our time waiting for guys who aren’t coming, but it would be a good look for us to actually get a few meetings on the books so we don’t get shut out. 

    Last, if we strike out on some guys, there will be teams looking to get rid of a few guys to make room for other salaries. So we might be able to land a few first round picks and pick up a few guys like an Andrew Bogut, Terrence Ross. Or handed a few guys like Barnes or Ezeli because the Warriors have to get rid of them. There are still some good things that can happen here.

  9. Busboys4me says

    Whiteside said that he “Is a businessman that plays basketball.” Texas and Florida have no state tax. More money is his motive. Championships not a concern.

  10. A Horse With No Name says

    Whiteside?  Not too upset.  He’s 27 already and we have a bunch of tweeners.  I expect the same from Batum–who would be great.  Guys want to win now.  (So yeah, why Dallas, right?)

    If we can land Biyombo or Mahimi, and over pay for a few solid vets than we will have done pretty well for a bottom feeding team.  This season has to be about implementing a modern system and player development.  We have an excellent start in those directions with our coaching hire.  We have one of the best young and restless collections of talent.  Let’s see how it plays out.

  11. HaleHailHell says

    As long as there’s no Jason Kapono-style signing, I’m cool. Lakers have a history of salivating over someone’s girlfriend then trying to hookup with them after the HOT has long become NOT. Patience, not desperation, will help them find their new footing in this new NBA.

  12. inidanmamo says

    No meetings with “top” free agents! That is because we have dumb and dumber in the front office. Bet ya’ll if we had Jerry West, we would at least get a meeting.

  13. KevTheBold says

    The only faltering I see, is going after players who would have no interest in coming here.

    It makes us look ignorant. 

    I think it’s caving into pressure of the ‘win now’ crowd; who fail to understand our predicament, or really don’t care about tomorrow and the process it takes to actually groom  a championship caliber team.

  14. RobertBass says

    How is it there faut ? Why would they want to come to la ? Our young core ? Who has not even played one quarter together yet ?

  17. wwlofficial says

    Also, like T. Rogers aka Lakers Future, I’m changing my longtime handle of “Warren Wee Lim” to this one.

  20. Bballogy101 says

    We missed WHITESIDE ?  Oh, no !  How else are we going to pay the max for a player who achieved a ‘top 10’ status for the lowest assist total in NBA history ?  Remember, only one player ‘black holes’ the offense as badly every 8 or 9 years, so this will be tough to find for any price, much less the max.

    Then, of course, there is the ‘stat hunter’ role… where else can we find a player who hunts for stats, and openly brags about it (see his quote about trying to raise his stats for the NBA video game mid-last seasons) ?  It’s tough, because Whiteside is so strong here.  He led the league in blocks, while still not even managing to show up in the top 10 or so in rim protection.  That takes talent.

    And of course, there is the other issue of failing to impact the team positively on either offense or defense for two straight years.  Sure, there are a lot of other players who fit this description, but who else will be commanding the max ?

    Remember, its the whole package.  The selfish, non-passing, the stat hunting, the not-helping the team at all.. who else has it ALL ?  Well, wait !  There’s more !  Yes, if you order this set of steak knives, you also get a player so immature that he’ll actually pull D’Angelo and the rest of the team completely under with him.  How do we know ?  Because he sabotaged Miami last year to the point that BOTH Wade and Bosh spoke about it, repeatedly, to the media.  And you know those guys both have the vet status, the rings, and wouldn’t go to the media unless the immaturity and selfishness had proven impossible to control privately.

    Really, when you put it all together… there really is nobody who offers quite as much as Whiteside.

  21. Lakers Future says

    It says a lot about the perception of this team that they can’t even get a meeting with Hasan Whiteside. I’m not surprised with Durant. Even though that stings as well. But Whiteside? Dude just came on the radar in the last year and a half. And he won’t even meet with the Lakers? 

    Sibling rivalries aside. When your front office can’t get a meeting with the likes of Hasan Whiteside its time to get a new front office. Ramona Shelburne was going on about how Durant owed the Lakers a meeting out of respect. What will she now say about Whiteside?

  22. inidanmamo says

    The league needs to adjust for the state tax issue. Allow teams to offer more than the Texas and Miami teams.i.

  24. BigCitySid10552 says

    inidanmamo Really? Then what would they do for Toronto’s tax issues? Would they also make adjustments for guys who have to play in cities w/ snow?

  25. _ Robert _ says

    new rr   What happended to the old rr ?    I liked that guy    :   )

  27. Clay Bertrand says

    BigCitySid10552 inidanmamo
    I’ve wondered about the league AT LEAST allowing teams that play in those States that DO have State Income Tax to pay more without affecting the Salary Cap just so that the Dollars paid to a player end up being equal.  They SHOULD do it for Canadian Markets as well.  It would be up to each team to decide to do this and it wouldn’t be required.  

    The goal is to have as much of an even playing field AS POSSIBLE.

    Sure, weather, size of market, costs of living, local culture etc. will always be elements that can’t be leveled out for all.  

    But AS EVEN AS POSSIBLE to me means that the financial offering from each team should at least be on equal footing. 

    California has great weather, AND HIGH COST OF LIVING.  Florida has pretty good weather, lower cost of living AND NO STATE TAX?????  

    It’d be one thing if it was Minnesota, Milwaukee and Utah that had the economic tax benefit to offset their less desirable markets.  But MIAMI/ORLANDO??? DALLAS/HOUSTON/SAN ANTONIO???   

    When the differences amounts to MULTIPLE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, its an inequity Plain and Simple.

  28. Msway says

    Ilike it .(compensation for teams in high tax states or better yet reduce revenue in no tax states.) The league kicked us in the face with the CBA to stop us from owning free agency,then they penalized us for getting chris paul and stripped us, we should be red hot at the league and they should wipe the slate clean and adjust for this advantage in revenue.

  30. bluehill says

    I think we’ve realized this was a possibility but hoped we were wrong. With the new CBA and increase in the cap, it’s harder for one team to outbid another and they can’t outbid the home team. If money isn’t the deciding factor, other things like the coach, FO, team, possibility of winning a championship, etc. become more important. I don’t know how much the outward appearance of discord within ownership played a part in each of the aforementioned players’ decisions not to meet with us, but probably didn’t help. The players that we wanted are older and maybe another reason that LA is as interesting is that these guys are too young. Maybe these guys don’t want to wait as our core comes up the learning curve in an offense that isn’t well defined and where their role isn’t well-defined either.

  31. _ Robert _ says

    Clay Bertrand BigCitySid10552 inidanmamo  Perhaps a better idea would be for Cali to match the tax rate in Florida + Texas?

  32. BigCitySid10552 says

    Just read Philly will backload it’s offer to Clarkson. If so, we’re about to learn how much the Lakers believe Clarkson is part of their future.

  33. Kareemez says

    I don’t believe that people should be too worried about the chips falling as they appear to be falling. The fact is that the Lakers are not in much better of a situation than last summer. Sure, better is a relative term. The switch of Byron Scott for Luke Walton and Kobe Bryant for Brandon Ingram represents huge steps forward for the Lakers. However, for the rest of the league, the Lakers are still a bottom 5 team (with a dysfunctional front office). I was excited for meetings with Whiteside and Batum, even if knowing in my heart of hearts that we had little chance. 

    Looking at the Lakers situation objectively, I think that fans’ expectations of FO meetings with top FAs represent optimism driven by Lakers exceptionalism. Even if we got every single top signing short of Durant and James, (i.e. we were able to nab Whiteside, Batum, +parts), this team would still potentially be bottom 8 in the Western Conference. And while we have gobs of cap space, so does half the teams in the league, to sign a max contract. And all of those teams already have more stars and better rosters than the Lakers do. 

    The FO should be smart and seek out two types of players: mid-tier talent on high value contracts that may be tradeable assets in the near future, especially when the cap explodes even further (e.g., Bazemore, Mahinmi). And/or high potential young players who might have breakout seasons moving forward (i.e., team Portland: Crabbe, Harkless, Leonard).

    The last ditch effort could be a gamble on Parsons, who, if regaining his health, would be an incredible boon. If we could get him on a 3 year deal at max with a year 3 team option, I would say yes. The worst we could do is gamble on bad talent, i.e. DeRozen.

  34. matt24 says

    The word I’ve heard is that mitch kupcheck, does not like to break the league rules, and will only contact free agents, after 12 midnight eastern, technically players are still under contract until july 1st. And don’t forget the moratorium rule, a player cannot officially sign until july 6th. They usually make verbal commitments very quickly though.
    There are all kinds of rumors flying around.

  35. Clay Bertrand says

    matt24 We shall see in an hour and 20 if Mitch is indeed a moral rule abiding do gooder or just a guy on the phone with a busy signal.

  36. Clay Bertrand says

    While a number of 1st tier FAs were never realistic gets for the Lakers, the players they are interested in continues to spiral downward with every FA rejection.  

    We’ve gone from Whiteside, Horford, Batum, Barnes etc. to Tyler Zeller, Evan Turner, Microfracture Parsons, and a couple of RESTRICTED FAs.

    At this rate, I expect to soon see, “Lakers to aggressively pursue Candace Parker.”

  37. Mid Wilshire says

    BigCitySid10552

    The Lakers will retain Clarkson.  They can ill afford to lose him.

  38. Mid Wilshire says

    I would suggest that we not engage in too much hand-wringing over Free Agency.  I say this for two reasons.

    1) The Lakers, with a few notable exceptions (Shaq, Ron Artest), have rarely made a big splash in Free Agency.  Traditionally, they have gathered their best players through trades (Wilt, Kareem, Mychal Thompson) and the draft (Baylor, West, Wilkes, Cooper, Worthy, Kobe, etc., etc.,).

    2) It’s very difficult to make a big leap forward, let alone construct a championship team, through acquiring Free Agents.  The Celtics did it nearly 20 years ago and then Miami did so as well.  Other than that, outstanding, All-World Free Agents usually remain with their teams or, on occasion, go to a team that they’ve been coveting for personal reasons for many years (e.g., LeBron, LaMarcus Aldridge).

    Free Agency, in short, is the most difficult path for building a team.  That is why I am convinced that the Lakers are actually doing things the right way — they’re drafting wisely (I think) and investing in young talent.  They’ve also brought in a new, young coach who could make a difference.

    If the Lakers strike out in Free Agency, let’s not be too horrified.  They’ll have a lot of company.

    Meanwhile, the youth movement continues.

  39. Clay Bertrand says

    Mid Wilshire

    Nice soothing words Mid!!  Valid points as well.  We will certainly get SOMEONE to take our money.  Let’s all hope our signings, if indeed modest, are at least intelligent and within the context of our embryonic (if that) team culture.  

    Though not us, SOME teams ARE going to make big impact signings.  IF they pan out, it puts us further behind.  

    Either way, its going to be fun to watch unfold starting with NEXT FRIDAY and the first Summer League game!!!

  40. matt24 says

    Don’t believe any hype about the Dallas mavericks during free agency……. the team is trash…
    The team has 1 starting player under contract, sg wes matthews, and you can argue that he’s overpaid 3 years at 17 mil per year…. bench players, jj Berea 4 mil, devan harris 4 mil
    They have no starting center, power forward, and no point guard. Dirk might resign for a bargain, but how much longer will he play. Even their backup big dwight powell is a restricted free agent.
    Remember last years free agency. It’s like they start a media buzz. To attract players.
    The lakers might or might not have a good free agency, but one thing is for sure mitch is not gonna make his intentions public until it’s over…. the mavericks are completely opposite of that

  41. 30twhite40 says

    Wojo reporting Lakers making a run at Timofey Mozgov. He would be a cheaper option and could fill a need a center.

  42. Mid Wilshire says

    30twhite40
    Mozgov is a valid option.  I could support that.  He’s 30 years old.  Within 2 or, maybe, 3 years, perhaps Zubac would be ready to start.  This could be a solution.

  46. Mid Wilshire says

    Clay Bertrand
    Clay,
    I’d go maybe 3 years for $40 Mill.  But we’re in uncharted waters here.  I guess, teams have so much cash they don’t know what to do with it.  It’s like Monopoly money.

  47. Clay Bertrand says

    PLEASE Mitch……….the Mozgov contract AT LEAST has the 4th year as a Team Option right???!!!!!!!!  This signing is horrendous if its a full 4 years guaranteed.

  49. Clay Bertrand says

    Mid Wilshire Clay Bertrand

    Its the 4 years man!!! $16 Million a year for a 30-34 year old average or less Center is ridiculous ESPECIALLY in year 4.  Id go 3 years $40-50.  I’m hoping the Lakers have a Team Option on the 4th if this is true.  They do that often and the deal would more palatable for me.

  50. Clay Bertrand says

    Clearly the Lakers are just trying to lock down a stable Center who will not demand touches and can still be moderately effective.  The young skill guys all need the ball so much anyway and the Luke Walton style will be a game that does not emphasize the space pace and perimeter game.  

    Mozgov can be a Bogut type I suppose.

  51. new rr says

    Clay Bertrand

    A buddy asked me earlier today what I thought Biyombo would cost; I said 4/64. Maybe Biyombo has no interest in the Lakers, but I would make that offer to him. I wouldn’t offer Mozgov that deal, though.

  52. Mid Wilshire says

    Clay Bertrand Mid Wilshire
    Clay,

    Maybe they could be doing a team option for years 3 and 4 just as they did with Byron Scott.  At least, I would hope so.

    But 4 years, in general, is way too long for a limited player.  And $65 Mill is ridiculous.  Of course, it’s not my money.

  55. Mid Wilshire says

    According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have made an offer of 4 years for $64 Mill to Timofey Mozgov.  Obviously, I can’t confirm this independently.  But it sounds like it could be a done deal very soon.

  57. Clay Bertrand says

    Mid Wilshire
    Player deals can’t have options unless its in the last year only.  So it can be a player or team option in the 4th year possibly/hopefully.

  58. Clay Bertrand says

    Fernando Rivera
    Mozgov tuns 20 in 2 weeks man!!! Actually 16 days but by the time he hits the court, he’s 30!!!!!