The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason plans may include re-signing their own free agents and the possibility of replacing the team's head coach.
The Lakers have plenty to address this summer in an attempt to bounce back from yet another dismal season. With the team having a projected $62.6 million of cap space available this summer, the team could sign one or two max contract players.
Stars like Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan would certainly be in the Lakers' bucket list in July, but according to David Murphy of Bleacher Report, LA should prioritize signing their own free agents, mainly second-year combo-guard Jordan Clarkson.
"The L.A. front office has to make keeping Clarkson a priority. There are a number of ways in which to accomplish this task. One simple solution would be to re-sign Clarkson using his Early Bird rights," Murphy wrote.
Clarkson has shown the potential to be an All-Star in his first two years in the NBA. The 23-year-old combo guard has an average of 14.0 points and 2.9 assists, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field.
Good thing for the Lakers, Clarkson heads into free agency as a restricted free agent, which means LA could match any offer other teams pitch to the sophomore guard. This would give the chance for the Lakers to focus one another important matter, which is the team's head coaching job.
Under Byron Scott's guidance in the past two seasons, fans have seen the Lakers in poor form partly because of injuries and the team's inexperienced youthful squad. According to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Scott's status will be a key topic for the Lakers in the offseason, and there is a reason to believe the team could replace the 55-year-old.
CBS Sports' Ken Berger claims in his report that the Lakers' part-owner and president Jeanie Buss is "pushing for Scott behind the scenes," which could "clear the way for a top-to-bottom reset for the franchise in 2017, and the possible return of (Phil) Jackson to run the basketball operations with Luke Walton as head coach."
Recently, Walton has begun to interview for head coaching positions, having been in talks with the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The report disclosed that the Walton is considering the job to coach the Knicks because of the "uniqueness" working for Jackson, who coached the Walton during their time together in LA.
However, Frank Isola, also writing for the New York Post, believes the Lakers "could also be in play" to land Walton, who has played in LA for most of his basketball career and won two NBA rings.
Walton became a hot coaching candidate after leading the Golden State Warriors to 39-4 during his stint as interim head coach. While the Lakers may not have the same talent as what the Warriors have, Walton's style could fit well in LA's pack of young talents.
Meanwhile, Scott Brooks has been also reportedly interested in the Lakers coaching job should it become available, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Brooks have a close relationship with Durant and could be a factor for the Lakers to land the two-time scoring champion of the OKC Thunder.
The Lakers will have the chance to turn things around in the offseason either thru free agency, trade deals or drafting a top prospect. But their attention should not only be directed at bolstering their roster, but also at considering a new coach, who could maximize every player's talents.