Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are justifiably in the market for another upgrade at point guard, but they must ensure they don’t waste time chasing Deron Williams.
While Los Angeles has absolutely no cap space to work with, they have somehow meandered they way into the Williams rumor-mill.
From Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated:
For the Lakers, Williams could be a possibility if Howard is not. A source close to the three-time All-Star said he would be interested in joining the Lakers, though it would have to be via a sign-and-trade deal. (Lakers point guard Ramon Sessions, who was acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, has a $4.5 million player option for next season.) The source said Williams’ preference, however, is for the Nets to improve the roster sufficiently enough that he can feel good about staying put rather than fear a repeat of this season, when they finished 22-44.
Surprising? No. Dangerous? Most definitely.
The Lakers find themselves the preferred destination of dozens of athletes for the sheer size of the market the play in. And while it’s fantastic that an All-Star caliber point guard would relish in the opportunity to join their ranks, Los Angeles must be careful not to get caught up in all the hype.
For the Lakers to land Williams, it has to be via a sign-and-trade. They have no absolutely no financial flexibility, nor do they have an abundance of tradable assets. That leaves them to dangle either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum as bait in any proposal.
Aside from the obvious dangers of trading big for small, constructing the framework for such a deal may just not be possible. Los Angeles would easily love to deal Gasol over Bynum, but the Nets are already known to prefer cap space over Gasol if Williams intends to walk.
So that leaves Bynum, who the Lakers were reluctant to trade for Dwight Howard. After all this time, after all this patience and after all the growing pains all parties involved have withstood, do we really expect Los Angeles to deal the big man who is supposed to be the face of the future for a point guard?
No. As great a talent as Williams is, trading Bynum doesn’t necessarily make the Lakers better, only different. And including Gasol in another batch of failed trade rumors will only further damage his ego and hinder any potential success Los Angeles could have as constructed.
Better yet, though, what if Williams is simply name-dropping the Lakers as a negotiating tactic with other teams, or to instill a greater sense of urgency within the Nets organization? What then?
Williams is no longer keen on the idea of joining a Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavericks squad because of an aging core and limited depth. Are the Lakers, especially if they have to trade Bynum to land him, in any better of a situation?
Not by much. Kobe is Kobe, but he’s not going to be around forever, and if Williams wanted a future laden with uncertainty, he would have re-signed with Brooklyn already.
Landing Williams always was, and remains, a long shot. And the Lakers must be careful not to forget that. They cannot afford to have tunnel vision on an issue like this. A failed Chris Paul trade nearly ruined their franchise, and Williams negotiations have the potential to do even more damage, with less of a chance of being actualized.
And that’s a gamble the Lakers cannot take right now, engaging in fruitless negotiations for a star athlete whose acquisition doesn’t ensure title contention, just a different version of the team we saw this season.
Dan Favale is an avid basketball analyst and firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His work can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
