NBA Rumors: Why the Lakers Must Proceed With Extreme Caution

After another early postseason exit at the hands of a deeper roster, the Lakers are left mulling over where to go from here.

Do they break up their Big Three? Should Ramon Sessions be brought back? Is Andrew Bynum worthy of an extension? Do championship rings still come in Bryant’s size?

Not unlike last year, Los Angeles is staring down the barrel of a point guard problem. While Sessions instilled a degree of ball-movement into a stagnant offense, his playmaking abilities simply weren’t enough. He was clearly still adjusting to being a full-time starter when the Lakers were eliminated and the team is now tasked with deciding whether he’s worth investing more time and money in.

Sessions has hardly been given an opportunity to succeed before now. He was utilized as poorly as possible while with the Timberwolves, Bucks and Cavaliers, and the Lakers presented his first real chance to gain experience.

But was he promising to warrant a new contract, or is he a venture Los Angeles is better off moving on from?

And this is where the Lakers need to be careful, as they consider attempting to blow up their roster for a second straight year.

With word coming that Deron Williams has set the Lakers in his sights this summer, Los Angeles was seemingly sent into a frenzy. A point guard of his caliber is a clear upgrade over Sessions, and the possibility of him running an offense alongside Bryant boggles the mind.

But there’s a catch.

The Lakers are in no position to pursue Williams via free-agency. They would be forced to negotiate a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets, essentially meaning Pau Gasol would have played his last game in Los Angeles.

Is that the right move, the correct course of action to take? Is it finally time to dump Gasol once and for all?

Gasol’s future with the team is already up in the air, but is he worth trading for Williams? The Lakers deemed him expendable prior to this season with regards to Chris Paul, but is it worth trading big for small this time around? Does trading Gasol actually increase Los Angeles’ chances of winning a title?

The logical and somewhat impulsive money says yes. Williams is an All-Star caliber floor general in his prime while Gasol is a power forward on the wrong side of 30 with a deteriorating killer instinct.

But is dealing him, and essentially decimating the roster, the answer here?

Championship teams are built upon stars, but they are also built off continuity and stability. Look at the Spurs and the Thunder, two teams with an unwavering core that succeed through familiarity and well-thought bargain pick ups. And now, look at the Knicks, the Clippers or even the Heat, teams that have sought, and continue to seek, another superstar to propel them to a title.

Currently, the Lakers find themselves somewhere in between. Their Big Three has been in tact for quite some time, yet they have been toiling with disbandment for over year. And now, it’s finally time to pick a side of the fence.

Is Los Angeles better off attempting to trade Gasol for Williams or another prolific point guard, in hopes of salvaging what’s left of Bryant’s title window? Or is there something to be gained from becoming the first team to unconditionally back Sessions development while attempting to re-instill faith in a floundering big man?

Depending on which team is seen hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy into the air come this June, perhaps the Lakers will have their answer.