With Kevin Love in Bag, Lakers to Add Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyson Chandler in 2015
All-Star power forward Kevin Love appears headed to Hollywood after all. Just weeks after an Eastern Conference general manager reported about Love's potential alliance with the purple-and-gold, another front office executive believed the double-double machine is 100 per cent going to 16-time NBA Champion.
According to ESPN NBA insider Chris Broussard, Love is very much on his way to joining the Lakers when he opts out from his current contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and becomes an unrestricted free-agent in 2015.
"Most executives believe Love is destined for the Lakers when he becomes a free agent in 2015. "That's a 100 percent certainty," one GM told me," Broussard tweeted.
Love's potential departure has been one of the hottest topics on basketball forums and NBA fans community for the past several weeks. The possibility of Love joining forces with Kobe Bryant and perhaps another superstar in 2015 would certainly catapult the Lakers back to title contention after spending the past two seasons in mediocrity.
Patience is a Virtue
The Lakers seem to have no plans using their cap space to sign a max-contract player this offseason, despite the presence of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and many others.
There are reports that the Lakers are pretty much interested to sign incoming restricted free-agent Eric Bledsoe, who has emerged as a top caliber player in his first season with the Suns.
"General manager Mitch Kupchak told Lakers.com's Mike Trudell recently his team could preserve its cap space this year to make a major move (or two) next summer," via Bleacher Report
"That would coincide with reports saying the Lakers aren't as interested as people think in Carmelo Anthony, who might be the prized piece of this free-agent class depending on what the Miami Heat's Big Three do with their early termination options," the site added.
In the event they skip the 2014 free agent class, the Lakers look to use their money to sign Love and another star player to form a pretty imposing Big 3 in Los Angeles.
"If Love is a target for the Lakers in 2015, they would probably pass on signing a max player to a long-term deal this offseason with the hopes of getting Love and making a push for one other marquee free agent with the cap room they will have."
"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.
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