With this season being such a struggle for the Los Angeles Lakers, many eyes have turned to this off-season as the beginning of the turnaround for the storied franchise.
Armed with a substantial amount of cap room, and a potential high draft pick in what is thought to be a very talented draft class, better times could be on the horizon.
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General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke with the media after the NBA trade deadline ended today, and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that he will not just spend the team’s money on anyone:
Kupchak: "It may take more than one year to build … Because we have a lot of cap space this summer, doesn't mean we'll spend it all"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 20, 2014
Even though they have cap room, the Lakers have to be smart about using it. Players like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are likely to stay with their current teams and the Lakers can not pay lesser players like top stars and ruin their salary cap.
With Pau Gasol surviving through the trade deadline, the team will retain his bird rights, and could sign-and trade him in the off-season as well to bring in a good piece.
The Lakers will have options this off-season, but they have to be very careful not to spend money just because they have it. They have to spend the money on the players who are worth it, and from the looks of it, that will be the case.
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