Los Angeles Lakers signing star free agent questionable

February 20, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) speaks about recently deceased owner Jerry Buss before playing against the Boston Celtics at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
February 20, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) speaks about recently deceased owner Jerry Buss before playing against the Boston Celtics at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Lakers have rarely had trouble securing themselves a franchise star, be it via trade or free agency. One of those exceptions was during this current offseason as the franchise was spurned by names like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.

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Granted, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t exactly bend over backwards for either player but that might have been because they knew their chances of signing either was small. Regardless, the Lakers walked away from the 2014 free agent market with nothing to show and that might be the case again in 2015.

While the Lakers will have cap space moving forward (barring significant trades), Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders seems to feel their chances of obtaining a star free agent is questionable.

"With Kobe Bryant taking up $25 million of the salary cap, it is hard to see why a star in their prime would come to the Lakers next year. Much like this year, someone like Carmelo Anthony would realize that there would not be room for a second star with Kobe making that much, so the ceiling would be pretty low."

It’s certainly a valid point considering no true star player would want to play second fiddle to Kobe Bryant  and having both he and the ‘star player’ would all but max out the Los Angeles Lakers salary cap.

Then again, these are the Lakers we’re talking about and they’ve been known to pull a rabbit out of a hat, though much of that was under the ownership of Jerry Buss and not the current regime.