The Lakers have a shot to land one of free agency’s big fish this summer, but may have to settle for some of the guys in the next tier down. Don’t be fooled, though, there’s plenty of talent there. From ESPN.com:
Los Angeles is in the advantageous position of having enough room under the salary cap to make a maximum offer to Anthony or James without having to clear any salary. There is also a scenario where the Lakers could clear enough salary to pursue both Anthony and James — if each were willing to play for $15 million a year to start — if they can trade Steve Nash (owed $9.7 million next season) without taking back any salary.
If they are unable to land Anthony or James, the Lakers are also expected to have a strong interest in Washington free-agent forward Trevor Ariza, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, Detroit center Greg Monroe and Phoenix forward Channing Frye, according to sources.
