This summer will be one of the most important off-seasons in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. The Lakers hope to drastically improve their team through both the NBA Draft and free agency. One major target is expected to be point guard Rajon Rondo.
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Kobe has spoken about his ongoing recruitment of Rondo, but also said that he will keep in touch with a few different guys around the league. According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Kobe plans on speaking with management in hopes of having a more competitive team next season:
I stay in touch with him. I stay in touch with some other guys, too […] I’ll look around and talk with management. We’ll look at what we can do and should do. Hopefully we’ll then have a more competitive team.”
The Lakers are trying to balance a very thin line in the upcoming off-season. The team has a plan to get back into championship contention and President Jeanie Buss hasn’t been shy about what could happen if they fail to accomplish that goal. General Manager Mitch Kupchak, however, has also spoken about not overpaying for a bunch of players this summer in trying to make one last run specifically for Kobe Bryant.
Rondo has spoken about the idea of playing with Kobe and how special it is that Kobe wants to play with him. The Lakers, however, will be looking at multiple different players to add and hopefully that leads to a much better Lakers team next season.
[divide]Jordan Clarkson Talks Kobe On The Bench, Matching Up With Rajon Rondo