FanPost

Waiting game hurts Lakers again

The 2015-16 NBA salary cap is expected to be between $67-69 million. New money will flood the league in 2016-17 because of a $24 billion TV deal and will set the salary cap for that season at close to $90 million. In simple terms, this means that every team in the league will have cap space in 2016 and almost every team will have a max slot available.

That puts a premium value on cap space in 2015. This is the last summer before 2018, when the cap is expected to level out, where cap space actually matters. The Lakers came into the summer with plenty of space, but have come up empty in free agency so far. Los Angeles once again played the waiting game with top free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan and like last summer, it seems the Lakers can't convince one of them to sign on.

In the meantime, other role players who could've had an impact in Los Angeles have agreed with other teams. Big man Greg Monroe spurned money from the Knicks and Lakers to play in Milwaukee and Robin Lopez reportedly agreed to join the Knicks. Either player would have helped the Lakers in the paint, considering the Lakers have exactly zero viable starting centers on the roster. Summer League prospect Robert Upshaw has potential, but he isn't on the team yet.

Last year, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony put the entire market on hold. The Lakers didn't lose time last summer because every team in the league was playing the waiting game. Los Angeles refused to take a shot at Chris Bosh, Chandler Parsons and Lance Stephenson last summer after failing to land the big fish. Sure hindsight is 20/20, but any of those players could've helped LA.

This summer, there was no such game. Even teams in the Aldridge and DeAndre sweepstakes locked down their guys. Meanwhile, the Lakers tried to knock on the same door instead of looking elsewhere. That probably cost them Lopez.

Lopez is a legitimate seven-footer with good rebounding and defensive skills, He can finish in the paint and doesn't need to be the focal point of the offense. With the young talent currently in LA, Lopez might have been the best option in the middle. Instead, the Lakers might have to settle for Kosta Koufos.

Before everyone yells "Who?" and "Why do we need to sign random players?", Koufos is another legitimate seven-footer. He was behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in Memphis and therefore didn't quite get the playing time he deserved. Koufos is a solid rebounder and defender. His defensive real plus-minus, according to ESPN, is 3.30. That puts him in the top-10 among centers. He's likely to command $10 million a year, but the Lakers have to spend money this year to take advantage of cap space before the explosion. Koufos is only 26 and fits in nicely with LA's long-term plans.

Tobias Harris is another name that keeps coming up. He's restricted, but the Orlando Magic reportedly won't match a max contract. That would likely be around $14-15 million a year, but Harris is worth it. He's 22 years old and already has four seasons on NBA experience. He has the size to defend power forwards and the quickness to hang with small forwards. In the modern NBA, excellent shooting from behind the arc and inside the paint matter. According to basketball-refererence.com, Harris shot 68.7 percent on shots 0-3 feet from the hoop and 36.4 percent from three. That's solid efficiency at two shot locations that matter.

There is no point waiting on Aldridge and Jordan. The Lakers need to act fast and snag two young pieces who fit needs and more importantly, are still available. Koufos and Harris aren't the major signings Lakers fans expected, but they are solid additions to a team relying on young talent to develop.