The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the most important offseason of their rebuilding process. The young players on the team have shown a ton of growth and promise and the front office is in position to land one or two max-level free agents this summer.
That idea has brought on another conversation. Some believe that the Lakers would be better off by simply sticking with their young players and allowing them to grow into potential stars as opposed to adding players such as LeBron James and Paul George.
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has his own idea on what may be best in the long run. Bryant appeared on “The Chris and Caron Show” with Chris Mannix and Caron Butler, and explained that despite the desperation of the fan base to win immediately, he believes building from the ground up leads to a longer dynasty:
“This market is like man, listen, ‘You’ve got to win, like, yesterday.’ And that’s not always the case. You want to build a team that has longevity and could potentially be a dynasty. Those things take time and generally are grown from within. You slap a couple All-Stars together and you may go on a run where you win two out of three or something like that. But eventually players get traded. But if you build the team organically, that dynasty team tends to stay together longer.”
It’s interesting to note that the championship teams Bryant was part of were a blend of both. He and Derek Fisher were among those drafted, but Shaquille O’Neal was added via free agency. In his later years, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom were added in trades, while Andrew Bynum was drafted.
There are certainly arguments to be made on each side. Bringing in stars could potentially stunt the growth of young players, but those same youngsters may never become as good as the superstars the Lakers could potentially sign or trade for.
It is a tough position to be in, but a good one as it means the Lakers have multiple ways they can return to greatness. Perhaps some combination of the two ideas is best, but as far as Bryant goes, building organically is still the best way.
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