NBA Free Agency: Teams eyeing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony
Los Angeles Lakers:
Cut to every NBA fan outside of LA puking into a wastebasket. You thought the Lakers and LeBron and Melo were irrationally hated on before? Just imagine the three converging into a trifecta of endless Internet rage, Twitter trolls and mocking memes. But I digress.
As much as the rest of the league laughed at Kobe Bryant becoming the league’s most overpaid highly paid player with his gaudy contract extension, the Lakers can still free up enough cap space to make a run at LeBron and Melo if they find a way to trade Steve Nash and the No. 7 pick in Thursday’s draft (without taking on any additional money). Luckily for LA, not having many guys on the books for next season could pay off in the form of $33 million after those trades.
More Embiid fallout. Lakers could move Nash and #7 to Philly for MCW and T Young. 76ers would take Exum at #3.
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) June 20, 2014
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Ryen Russillo suggested the Lakers were trying to work out a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers involving Nash, the No. 7 pick, Michael Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young. That’s not quite ideal here, but it’s a step in the right direction for a franchise that just suffered one of its worst seasons in its prestigious history.
Realistically, the concept of Kobe, LeBron and Melo in the same place seems like a bit of a stretch. That’s quite a lineup for an All-Star Game or a 2K Create Your Own Team, but would there be enough shots to go around? Would Kobe relinquish control of his franchise? Would LeBron naturally take over the alpha dog role as he should? And where the hell does Melo fit in with this potential power struggle? Keep in mind, the last time the Lakers created a super squad, it became one of the most disappointing teams in NBA history.