The Los Angeles Lakers may have already settled with their current roster for next season, but expect the franchise to go hard at free-agent power forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the summer of 2015.
The Lakers enter the new season with a lineup consists of expiring contracts (Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer), rookies (Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson) and holdovers from the 2013-14 season (Kobe Bryant, Robert Sacre, Nick Young, Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry).
Although the makeup of this roster wasn't even close to what the Lakers front office envisioned heading into a free-agency filled with top-flight talents like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, this composition of the team seems competitive enough to be a relevant force in a competitive Western Conference.
However, there's one big problem. This is the Lakers, a franchise who won 16 championships. A year without winning a title is a wasted season by their lofty standards.
Bryant, the Alpha-dog of the organization, wants nothing less of a championship in what could be his last two contract years with the team. Obviously, a team that features an aging Nash, Lin and Boozer won't bring him any near to his goal. He needs another star at his prime to play alongside with him for the 2015-16 season, and that could be Aldridge.
The Lakers, who missed out on adding Anthony and don't have enough assets to trade for Kevin Love, might go all in to get Aldridge, who is considered one of the big names available in that free-agency class,
"Players like Rajon Rondo, Arron Afflalo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker, Roy Hibbert and Tyson Chandler are all eligible to be free agents in 2015," ESPN Los Angeles' Arash Markazi stated via Bleacher Report.
The Blazers were one of the most surprising teams last season, as the team racked up 54 wins and upset the fourth-seeded Houston Rockets to reach the second round of the postseason for the first time since the Rasheed Wallace era in early 2000s.
However, surpassing last season's success could be tougher for the Blazers this time around, as the Western Conference reloaded this offseason. Indeed, they picked up steady veterans like Chris Kaman and Steve Blake, but these acquisitions won't be enough to get them over the hump.
Another frustrating year for the Blazers could prompt Aldridge to leave his team. Before the start of the 2013-14 season, the power forward nearly forced a trade to get himself out of Oregon, but the Blazers' negotiation with the Bulls collapsed.
This coming season would be critical for the Blazers. If they manage to get deeper into the playoffs, Aldridge would surely stay for a long haul. However, a disappointing regular-season campaign or a shortened postseason appearance could temp its biggest star to finally leave and take big money elsewhere. Of course, the Lakers, with all the prestige of the ball club and the glittering lights of Hollywood, would be a top destination for him. That's for sure.
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