The LA Lakers will try its best to pursue top talent and this may be the year that they won't come home empty handed.
They are in a much better place than they were last year. With Kobe Bryant officially retired, they have his league-high salary off the books, giving them a ton of cap space.
They have the no.2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft which adds to their young talent core. Finally, they also hired a young coach known for player development in Luke Walton.
This is why Bleacher Report recently predicted that the Lakers could sign not one, but two possible max contract players.
Writer Grant Hughes made the easy prediction of Harrison Barnes because of the Luke Walton connection but he also emphasized the money. Barnes is a restricted free agent but if he signs the max contract starting at $21 million, he will be the highest paid player at Golden State. It's clear that the Warriors have other priorities.
But Barnes is no pushover and Walton could coach him to become a stud as he gets the opportunity he has been waiting for. Hughes cited the former North Carolina Tar Heel's versatility as an asset.
"Even if we assume the Lakers tab Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 overall pick, Barnes still makes sense. He's always been most effective at the 4, so he could start over Ingram, play alongside Julius Randle and occupy either forward spot depending on matchups," Hughes noted.
While we have yet to see the best of Barnes, the Lakers could also get a player who has finally blossomed into a beast. Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat led the league in blocked shot and has established himself as a fearsome defensive presence.
Still, the Miami Heat has a lot of dilemmas to decide on this offseason and Whiteside may be one of them, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald noted.
"The Heat values him, but someone who has spoken to the team's front office said he believes the Heat will try to convince him to take something less than the max deal he almost assuredly could get elsewhere," Jackson said.
The Lakers should take the opportunity and pitch in their legacy of great centers, the Hollywood life, not to mention the loads of cash that Whiteside never earned in his career up to now.
There is another notable Lakers target-DeMar DeRozan hails from Compton and grew up as a Lakers/Kobe fan. However, with the Toronto Raptors' playoff success, DeRozan leaving the North seems unlikely, even for the Lakers.