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Lakers’ Kobe Bryant will actively recruit free agents

By Evan Massey

Dec 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Lakers won 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Lakers won 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant will take an active role in recruiting free agents this coming offseason.

Kobe Bryant will undergo surgery to repair his torn right rotator cuff on Wednesday morning, which will end his season. It is an unfortunate end to an otherwise impressive season, but Bryant has made it clear that he will come back next season.

Next season will likely be Bryant’s final NBA season unless he simply cannot give the game up. It is the last year of his current deal, and at 36 years of age this season he is already over the hill and heading towards the end of his career. That being said, he plans to take on an active role in recruiting free agents to Los Angeles this coming offseason.

Despite the injury, Bryant has been a major success this season. He finally passed Michael Jordan on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list, and has still been playing at a very high level despite his age.

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In the 35 games that he played this season, Bryant averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. There is no denying the competitive attitude that Bryant still possesses, and he still feels very good and capable of competing at a high level. Obviously that has been the case this season and he is still more than able to lead the Lakers for another season.

Injuries are beginning to pile up for Bryant, and this would mark the third straight season that Bryant has seen his season end early due to injury.

Hopefully he is able to heal quickly throughout the rest of the season and have a full offseason to get back to top health. The Lakers are hoping to be aggressive in free agency, and they will have a good amount of money available to spend. It is also likely that the Lakers will have a good draft pick now that Bryant is out.

It will be very intriguing to see what free agents the Lakers end up targeting. Bryant taking an active role in recruiting is going to help Los Angeles with some players, but others may not be interested in playing alongside of him. That being said, Bryant is still going to give it one more go and the Lakers will do everything they can to put a talented team around him.

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