Quote:
Originally Posted by spreedom
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.
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I can't say I agree. The bigger market, the history, the Hollywood factor. No matter how terrible the team is, the Lakers will always be the NBA's marquee franchise. I have to imagine that it is certainly a factor for star players. Not as important as making money or winning titles of course, but if all things are equal, I think that does give them an edge- at least with a certain type of personality. Whiteside doesn't seem to care about it, but there are certainly players who do. The Lakers may not have attracted a "top tier" free agent since Shaq, but I think you can lay a lot of that blame at Kobe's feet. Kobe singlehandedly made the Lakers' locker room toxic for the last several years of his career. Now that Kobe's finally gone, and especially if they develop some young talent, they'll definitely be a big player in the FA market again in the near future.