Timofey Mozgov (Photo : Andrew D. Bernstien | Getty Images Sport)
The LA Lakers have not had a successful offseason in the past three years when it comes to signing top free agents.
It seemed reasonable for them to temper down their targets, but the swift move on Timofey Mozgov was often described as excessive and unnecessary.
It was not about picking Mozgov per se but the Lakes offered him a huge amount on a long four-year deal with no team options whatsoever. This is why Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider considered the LA Lakers as one of the offseason's losers.
Pelton did note that the Lakers will improve, but they may have compromised their future to do that-and they really did not have stiff competition.
"The question is whether they'll improve enough to justify cutting into their cap space for 2017 and beyond by paying Deng $72 million and Mozgov $64 million over the next four years. That's unlikely, even if Mozgov can return to his pre-knee surgery form at age 30," Pelton declared.
He added: "With so many centers available in free agency -- and several still on the trade market -- there was little need for the Lakers to move so quickly to lock up Mozgov."
There are even centers available up to now via trade. The Milwaukee Bucks are practically giving Greg Monroe away and the Sixers could not find a suitable partner for Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. If the Lakers wanted to, they could have had Bismack Biyombo or Ian Mahinmi, both younger options than Mozgov.
To add injury to insult, there were reports that Mozgov got injured while playing for the Russian team in a friendly game against Ukraine.
Lakers Nation translated a report from Match TV in Russia: "Center of the Russian national team Timofey (Mozgov) injured his groin muscle in the second quarter of the friendly match with Ukraine, continuing at this moment in Tbilisi [...] The degree of severity of the damage will be known later."
This is bad news for the Lakers if it turns out to be a long-term injury. An injured Mozgov is not what the Lakers invested $64 million dollars for. But the idea that the team is "stuck" with him for four years is the biggest blow.
