The Los Angeles Lakers have been written off just five games into the regular season, and you can understand why. The lone bright spot has been Kobe Bryant looking healthy, but the Lakers are off to an 0-5 start and are easily one of the worst teams in the NBA. So what’s next?
There have been some rumblings that the Lakers should try to trade Kobe and the two years and roughly $50 million he has remaining on his contract, but that seems unlikely. Instead, they will likely try to use some of the $30 million-plus they will have in cap space after the season to rebuild.
Rajon Rondo could be on the short list of free agents.
Rondo will be a free agent after the season, and the Boston Celtics are in a rebuilding phase. The C’s drafted point guard Marcus Smart with the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, so they could be preparing for life after Rondo. According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, several rival executives expect the Lakers to make a “strong run” at Rondo next summer.
With the cap space they are expected to have, the Lakers could keep Kobe, add Rondo and sign another big-name free agent. Two options for the frontcourt are Marc Gasol and Greg Monroe. Would that be enough to contend, or should the Lakers just move on from Kobe and start from scratch?
Mannix lays out a well-reasoned argument for why the Lakers should trade Kobe. From a basketball standpoint, it seems to make sense. Because of who Kobe is and what he has meant to the Lakers, it is unlikely to happen.
