Ninja Scooter
Member
I think what this offseason showed is that cap space is really no longer an asset. Look at how easily teams like PHX and San Antone were able to create space when they needed it? It doesn't take 2-3 years of tanking/planning to have a ton of cap space. This might be the last time you ever see teams arming themselves with cap space as a weapon in free agency. That's no longer alluring to players. What we have also learned is that players want to play with other good players. That's not something the Lakers or Knicks can offer right now. All they have is cap space. If I'm 30 year old LaMarcus Aldridge do I want to go to the Lakers snd spend a year or two of my prime finding out if Julius Randle and DAngelo Russell are any good? I mean, even if we had signed either him or DeAndre, this is probably still a lottery team. Now if after this season, Randle and Russell look like studs, we might have something to sell guys on, but this offseason was a sobering reminder for Lakers fans that we are at the beginning of the rebuilding process, not the end, and having a ton of cap space alone doesn't let you skip any steps.