2014 after Kobe hangs it up? How will it work?

rockpurple · Post #1 » by **rockpurple** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 1:47 am

I believe Dwight Howard will be a Laker soon; and will become the cornerstone for the future of the franchise. It seems like the only logical end game to this Dwightmare...

KObe Bryant seems likely to retire when his contract runs out in 2014....Pau Gasol's contract will also run out in 2014. MWP and Blake as well.. So in essence, the Lakers will be clearing 65 million in cap space all at once...

Obviously, the Lakers don't have any draft picks to build the team from the ground up; and they're built to win NOW with older vets Kobe, Nash, Gasol, MWP etc...

So maybe the Lakers win another championship in 2014 sending Kobe out a champion?? or maybe they come up just short of OKC/Miami with a respectable effort vs the young guns??

THEN WHAT??... How will the Lakers be able to build around Dwight Howard in 2014 free agency?

Who will be our targets in free agency?

nbaintel1 · Post #2 » by **nbaintel1** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:39 am

We'll have Nash and Howard. Is Kevin Durant a free agent in summer of 2014?

Josephpaul · Post #3 » by **Josephpaul** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:06 am

He signed a 5 year deal last year so no

Post #4 » by **semi-sentient** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:09 am

D12 + Blake Griffin + LeBron

hermes · Post #5 » by **hermes** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:11 am

anyone good is welcome

Dr Aki · Post #6 » by **Dr Aki** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:03 am

im sure they'll be some disgruntled star looking at the bright lights and capspace of LA

Alienware · Post #7 » by **Alienware** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:38 am

Who expires in 2014?
Kevin Love? Lebron James? Kyrie Irving?

ROballer · Post #8 » by **ROballer** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:49 am

Alienware wrote:Who expires in 2014?
Kevin Love? Lebron James? Kyrie Irving?

Lebron has a player option for the 2014-2015 season

Kyrie is off the table....Cavs have the team option for that season
I'm assuming he signs an extension shortly after

Kevin Love is still under contract that year...he'll have a player option for the 2015-2016 season

Basically we can't get none of them

swag2011 · Post #9 » by **swag2011** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:07 pm

I'll take one year of bad LA basketball. Then go hard after Kyrie or Kevin Love. Or even a high draft pick. Then during that one year LA is bad, while everything thinks the lakers are over, we come back the next year ready to go for the next decade.

Beethoven · Post #10 » by **Beethoven** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:02 pm

well, that is under the assumption that Dwight is coming here. I rather have Lebron

I dont know how it will work. but the day the Lakers play with no Kobe on the court will be a surreal day for me.

Post #11 » by **Kilroy** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:04 pm

We're about ready for the next super star prospect to come up... Maybe we'll get the next Kobe in 2014/15... But I don't think any of the current stars are going to be Lakers.

Maybe Kyrie Irving...

I think a lot depends on how the Nash experiment goes as far as if Kobe makes good on that, though...

If it goes well and looks like it will continue to go well, I think he'll stay in it... Unless we win a championship in 2014... Then I could see him hanging it up then.

Beethoven · Post #12 » by **Beethoven** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:09 pm

Yes , who knows.... in 2014 maybe some unknown college player gets picked up by Bobcats at their 8th pick and Mitch (after a call from Jerry West at 2 in the morning) trades him for Bynum....and we go on to win 7 championships in 15 years with this kid.

and everyone and the media perenially debates if this kid is better or comparable to Kobe Bryant and Lebron James

Tekkenlaw · Post #13 » by **Tekkenlaw** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:43 pm

Kilroy wrote:We're about ready for the next super star prospect to come up... Maybe we'll get the next Kobe in 2014/15... But I don't think any of the current stars are going to be Lakers.

Maybe Kyrie Irving...

I think a lot depends on how the Nash experiment goes as far as if Kobe makes good on that, though...

If it goes well and looks like it will continue to go well, I think he'll stay in it... Unless we win a championship in 2014... Then I could see him hanging it up then.

Kyrie would need to demand a trade for it to happen, there is no chance the Cavs don't match any offer sheet he signs, the same would apply to Rubio if we wanted to pursue him. If we want a superstar in 2014 it will most likely need to be a 27-29 year old coming off their second contract.

2014 free agent class actually looks weak as hell, the best PG on the market would be Rodney Stuckey, and the only real stars available are Wade, Lebron, and Bosh if they opt out.

Bandwagon1 · Post #14 » by **Bandwagon1** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:20 pm

Dont worry Bandwagon1 will be a Laker, ill take ish over!

Penberthy · Post #15 » by **Penberthy** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:25 pm

someone from here? http://www.hoopsworld.com/2014-nba-free-agents

Alienware · Post #16 » by **Alienware** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:44 pm

Penberthy wrote:someone from here? http://www.hoopsworld.com/2014-nba-free-agents

Damn, that looks crappy as hell, apart from Miami Big Three (all with player option), and of course our free agents, it's utter ****.

nbaintel1 · Post #17 » by **nbaintel1** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:15 am

swag2011 wrote:I'll take one year of bad LA basketball. Then go hard after Kyrie or Kevin Love. Or even a high draft pick. Then during that one year LA is bad, while everything thinks the lakers are over, we come back the next year ready to go for the next decade.

Do we even have our own pick to tank the 2014-2015 season? We've been giving out 1st round picks like candy.

laduane1 · Post #18 » by **laduane1** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:30 am

Sign and trade Kobe for a hugh package or let him retire and get 30 millon off the cap and actually start to add young players.

eyepapi · Post #19 » by **eyepapi** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:31 pm

Kobe said he'd retire in 2014 to lure D12. D12 wants to be the man and he'll have his chance in LA soon... With that said I seriously doubt he retires in '14 unless he gets to 7

World Peace · Post #20 » by **World Peace** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:21 am

There's no way in hell Kobe retires in two years. I see him signing a two year contract after his current contract is up. I see him retiring after that second contract is up at the end of the 2015-2016 season.