Lakers News: Latest on LA's 2015 NBA Draft Plans, Free Agents and More
The present-future tightrope teams must teeter on each year defines the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.
Like last year, general manager Mitch Kupchak and the front office clutch a top-five pick in the upcoming draft. This is a necessity for championship contention these days as deep teams like the Golden State Warriors run star-focused teams ragged.
Also like last year, though, is the desire to reel in major free agents if the fit makes sense.
With the draft this week, most of the recent news coming from out West focuses on the Lakers' first major offseason step. There, the team will decide the course and stick to it, for better or worse. Here's the latest.
Ed Davis' Future
One of the first orders of business for Los Angeles focuses on forward Ed Davis, a critical piece of depth underneath the basket given the injury to Julius Randle last year and the potential departures of Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill.
At 26 years old, Davis seems like a player worth keeping at most costs after he posted 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last year with a player efficiency rating of 20.00, per ESPN.com.
Now for the good news—Davis wants to return.
“I definitely want to be back,” Davis said, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “With everything being equal, I’m 100 percent going back there. Hopefully that’s the case. But with free agency and all the stuff going on with the draft, you never know how things are going to go.”
So what could be the bad news? The asking price, of course. Per Medina, who spoke with sources, it could range in the neighborhood of "$7-8 million a year, or a one-year deal worth $9-10 million."
It seems a larger asking price than Kupchak and the Lakers may be willing to commit, especially if the front office grabs Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 2 to pair with Randle.
There's no such thing as too much depth in the NBA, though. Perhaps the Lakers will give Davis what he wants. Or the Lakers could always throw a curveball at the globe on draft day.
L.A.'s Infatuation With Emmanuel Mudiay
The said curveball could be overseas sensation Emmanuel Mudiay.
It seems Kupchak and the front office want a second look with Mudiay, and while they do this for multiple prospects, he seems like the crown jewel of the process at this stage of the offseason.
Medina shares the report: "The Lakers made progress on that front on Thursday by hosting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay for his second pre-draft workout at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo. The Lakers hope to do the same with Duke center Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell."
A guard at No. 2 would prove quite interesting with one of the aforementioned big men still on the board. It's not as if Mudiay's not worth the pick, though—he'll remind many of John Wall as an athletic freak who can get others involved each trip down the court, but struggles to knock down open looks of his own.
Mudiay at No. 2 increases the importance of keeping someone such as Davis around and leaning on the hope Randle can stay healthy—but it wouldn't be a wrong move. The Lakers need a future star in the backcourt. Securing a prospect there would mean the team can perhaps pursue big-name free agents such as Marc Gasol.
Regardless, things might not prove as boring at No. 2 as most think.
The Kobe Bryant Factor
When it comes down to it, many are right to suspect the decision at No. 2 will feature Kobe Bryant.
After all, Bryant is the Lakers. Even at his age it seems right to take his skill set and feelings into account when shaping the future of the franchise.
There's just one problem with such a line of thinking—it might be 100 percent bogus.
“We’re not going to pick a player because he can play with Kobe, likes Kobe or dislikes Kobe,” Kupchak told Medina. “We’re going to pick the player that can have the longest and best career.”
It seems the Lakers are at the awkward point in the relationship where the organization starts to veer away from Bryant's wants for the long-term outlook. This could have some interesting effects on both the legend and the rookie if the two don't pair together well over what may be Bryant's final season.
In the end, it seems Kupchak continues to head down the right path when it comes to the future of the franchise. It's the nature of the business, something Bryant is sure to understand as he moves to a mentor role as opposed to the franchise's lynchpin.
When the dust settles around the draft, it won't be the prospect himself at No. 2 worth the most intrigue, but how he meshes with Bryant.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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