It's been 20 years since the Lakers' organization has attracted a top tier free agent in his prime. When they are winning championships and contending year-in and year-out, they signed a lot of quality guys (mostly past their primes) but they don't really have a history of attracting elite free agents to join rebuilding projects. I don't think the mystique of the Lakers means much when they aren't going to be within sniffing distance of a championship (let alone 50 wins or even a .500 record) even if they do sign Whiteside.
Then again, the Mavs don't exactly have a long history of signing quality free agents in their primes either, so we'll have to see what impact a mostly-consistent decade of 50+ wins a season will have.
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