In the last couple of summers, the Los Angeles Lakers have attempted to be major players in free agency but ultimately failed to bring in the star player that they had hoped for. After another awful season in which the team set the franchise record for most losses in a season, general manager Mitch Kupchak will again be looking to make a splash on July 1.
The difficulty for the Lakers has been convincing top players that they can win with in Los Angeles as the overall talent on the team has been lacking. Kupchak now believes that will no longer be the case for the Lakers.
In his Friday press conference, Kupchak noted that the Lakers have more talent overall on the roster than in past years:
Mitch says Lakers have more talent this summer than in years past. Believes that could help sell free agents (via @TWCSportsNet)
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) May 6, 2016
Kupchak also spoke about the large amount of salary cap room the Lakers possess, which allows them to bring in two max salary players as an advantage:
Mitch also points to the Lakers being able to add 2 max players this summer while most others can only add 1 (via @TWCSportsNet)
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) May 6, 2016
When it comes to young talent with a lot of potential, the Lakers certainly are in a much better position. The team has a few players who they believe are building blocks of the future, led by D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle. Players like that can appeal to some free agents or can be used as trade pieces to land a big name via trade.
The massive amount of cap space could be a bigger advantage for the Lakers as teaming up two potential free agents could be exactly what they need to convince some players to join the Lakers.
The combination of all of these things, along with the hiring of new coach Luke Walton, could finally be enough to allow the Lakers to turn the corner and get back into the playoff mix.