With injuries continue to pile up early this season, the Los Angeles Lakers are very much heading to top their worst regular-season finishes in franchise's proud history. NBA insider Chad Ford of ESPN agreed that the only way for the Lakers to go up is for them to go down, hard!
In his latest article on ESPN NBA Insider, Ford tackled the Lakers' murky future this season and shared his opinion on how to make sure the franchise will have speedy rebuilding process after perhaps the worst stretch the franchise has ever experienced.
Like the Philadelphia 76ers are mastery implementing for the past three years, the Lakers should start buying the idea of tanking away the remainder of the season and make decision that will secure their long-term future.
"I don't think Mitch has much choice but to find ways to lose," one GM told Ford on his latest ESPN Insider article. "They're going to be bad anyway. You don't want to be just good enough that you lose the pick and still miss the playoffs.
Aside from Steve Nash's $9.7 million expiring contract (if there's any taker), the Lakers have no enticing trade assets on the table. The anonymous general manager believes the Lakers might have any options left but to trade Bryant and his big contract in exchange for draft picks and young talents.
"I don't think they have the assets to get good enough to make the playoffs and I don't think they have the [expletive] to trade Kobe. It's paradoxical, but right now losing seems like the only way to really get better."
Jake O'Donnell of Sports Grid provided at least four destinations for Bryant, if the Lakers management somehow had a change of heart and pulled off one of the biggest deals in franchise history.
The Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are considered possible trade destinations for Bryant because the fact that these teams are capable of absorbing Kobe's huge $23M contract for next season and each of these teams are willing to make a gamble on what remaining from the 36-year old Bryant.
Trading a Lakers legend like Bryant might really sound crazy, but this particular trade scenario is not much of a stretch considering the dire situation the Lakers are currently in.
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