Lakers must focus on what's next
When Kobe Bryant hobbled off the court with a ruptured Achilles on April 12, it marked the end of the Kobe era in Los Angeles Lakers history. That's not to say that Bryant won't come back (he will), or even that he won't excel after surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. But his uncertain status means that, for the first time since the Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2004, Bryant won't be the focal point of everything the team does.
The Lakers have been preparing for this moment. Throughout franchise history, the Lakers have been able to find a replacement whenever they have lost a superstar. Ideally, this transition will be like when Magic Johnson took the conch from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the mid-1980s, increasing his scoring while Abdul-Jabbar slid into a smaller role in the offense.
In Dwight Howard, the Lakers already have Bryant's heir -- provided Howard re-signs. And general manager Mitch Kupchak has managed L.A.'s payroll so that the Lakers will have enough cap room to potentially add to Howard and Bryant another top player from the star-studded 2014 free agency crop (headlined by LeBron James) -- provided that Bryant accepts a pay cut of at least half his current $28 million salary.
Everything the Lakers do this summer -- and, more importantly, what they don't do -- must be filtered through the perspective of the summer of 2014 and the next era of Lakers basketball.
Amnesty?
The first big decision the Lakers must make is how to use the one-time amnesty provision of the current collective bargaining agreement. Because all their eligible players are entering the final season of their contracts, it's now or never for the Lakers and amnesty.
Barring an unexpected setback in his rehab, we can safely rule out Bryant despite the potential financial windfall. That leaves Kupchak and company considering Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace as amnesty candidates. If Howard re-signs, using amnesty on Gasol would save approximately $62 million by the calculations of ESPN's cap guru Larry ****, while dumping World Peace would save the Lakers around $23 million.
Strictly financially, Gasol is an easy choice. It's hard to imagine his contributions being worth $39 million more to a team that's unlikely to contend for a championship. Still, Gasol remains too valuable on the court to let walk for nothing in return. There's also the possibility of trading Gasol, which Kupchak will surely explore before having to make a decision. World Peace's contract is closer to untradable. That's why he's the most likely amnesty candidate.
Free Agency
It's Dwight or bust for the Lakers, who must re-sign their star center, one of the top-two free agents on the market along with Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers. Any questions about Howard's health in the wake of back surgery were answered by the way he played during the second half of the season. Following the All-Star break, Howard averaged 17.7 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes. Compare that to his 2010-11 marks of 21.9, 13.5 and 2.3, which earned him second place in MVP voting. The disappointing way both Howard and the Lakers ended their season shouldn't change his importance to the franchise's future.
Besides Howard, free agency figures to be relatively uneventful for the Lakers. They'll be armed only with the taxpayer midlevel exception of $3.2 million, and given the focus on the summer of 2014, the Lakers will probably only be willing to offer one-year contracts. Beyond that, teams like the Miami Heat and possibly the San Antonio Spurs look like better options for veterans chasing a ring.
If the Lakers are searching for a replacement for World Peace at small forward, they could look at a group including Mike Dunleavy (making $3.75 million this season) and Los Angeles native Dorell Wright ($4.1 million). Kyle Korver ($5.0 million) is probably out of their price range, and the best candidate, Matt Barnes ($0.9 million), left the Lakers on bad terms last summer.
Trades
As mentioned previously, Kupchak will surely consider dealing Gasol, an enormous expiring contract. A Gasol trade could benefit the Lakers in two ways. Moving him for two smaller deals (for example, Luol Deng and Rip Hamilton of the Chicago Bulls) could help the team's depth, an issue all season long. Or the Lakers could consider trading Gasol to a team like the Houston Rockets that will be under the cap and won't have to send back equivalent salary in return. Finding the right fit will be difficult, but Gasol is a unique trade asset.
Besides Gasol, the Lakers' best trade asset might be Chris Duhon. Don't laugh! Duhon's contract is guaranteed for just $1.5 million next season if waived before June 30, making him something of an instant expiring contract for teams trying to clear cap space this summer. For example, if Dallas is desperate for more room, the Mavericks could save $1.6 million by swapping Vince Carter for Duhon, giving the Lakers a better one-year rental at small forward than they could get in free agency and allowing them to use the midlevel on another player or two.
Filling Out the Roster
If they use amnesty on World Peace, waive Duhon and decline Jodie Meeks' $1.5 million team option, the Lakers will have just five players signed entering free agency. To compete in 2013-14, they'll have to do a much better job of filling those spots. The failure of the Lakers' reserves was a key reason why Mike D'Antoni had to play his starters, including Bryant, so many minutes down the stretch.
To see the alternative, the Lakers needed look no further than the other bench during their first-round series. The San Antonio Spurs have built around their stars by signing overseas standouts like Gary Neal, plucking players like Danny Green from the D-League and hitting on second-round picks like DeJuan Blair. Or consider the Houston Rockets, who are constantly working to upgrade the end of their roster. That resulted in Houston finding Patrick Beverley, a successful starter in the playoffs who was originally drafted with a pick the Lakers sold away on draft night.
The youth Kupchak has tried to inject into the roster (Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris and Robert Sacre) has been largely ineffective. But this summer gives the Lakers another opportunity to upgrade their bench, and Insider's Amin Elhassan recently offered a low-cost shopping list.
No matter how well the Lakers fill out the roster, next season figures to be tough because of the advancing age and injury-prone nature of the team's core. If Howard re-signs, however, the summer of 2014 promises a brighter future for the next Lakers era.
We probably could've received some expiring contracts in return 
