The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t content to spend Kobe Bryant’s final seasons hoping lottery balls bounce their way. After doling out a combined $49 million to retain Nick Young and Jordan Hill, the Lakers have won amnesty bidding for former Chicago Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer.
UPDATE: The Lakers won the Boozer auction with a bid of $3.25 million, meaning Chicago will pay him the remaining $13.55 million of his existing contract.
ESPN sources say that Lakers won Carlos Boozer auction with a high bid of $3.25 million
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 17, 2014
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PREVIOUSLY: Chicago officially used the amnesty provision to waive Boozer on Tuesday as a result of agreeing to terms with Pau Gasol. Only teams below the cap are permitted to participate in amnesty bidding. It’s currently unknown what portion of Boozer’s $16.8 million contract the Lakers will pay Boozer in 2014-2015.
ESPN has learned that the Los Angeles Lakers have won the amnesty auction with the highest bid for Boozer
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 17, 2014
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Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Milwaukee, Orlando, Philly, Phoenix, Utah and Lakers all had enough room to make minimum $1.44M bid for Boozer
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 17, 2014
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It was initially reported that the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks had interest in Boozer. While adding a player of his talents stood to help those playoff teams in the East more than it would the surely lottery-bound Lakers, Los Angeles’ bid for Boozer was the highest one – there’s no telling whether Charlotte, Atlanta, or any other team even submitted claims.
Boozer will help the Lakers next season, but this seems a short-sighted acquisition. Los Angeles is firmly behind 2014 playoff teams the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks in the conference pecking order, and seems unlikely to usurp the Phoenix Suns and even Denver Nuggets or New Orleans Pelicans next season barring a series of unexpected individual performances. Its most prudent means to re-building would be to punt long-shot playoff odds in 2014-2015 and hope for a top-five pick next June, as the Lakers will send their 2015 first-round choice to Phoenix if it’s not among the first five of the draft.
The addition of Boozer not only fails to put them over the postseason hump while ensuring they’re close enough to doing so to lose their draft choice, but hinders development of prized rookie Julius Randle, too. Los Angeles’ porous interior defense only worsens with Boozer in tow, and playing he and Randle together is a recipe for even bigger disaster on that end of the floor.
Another complicating matter either way: the Lakers still don’t have a coach. Will Los Angeles’ new head man align with management’s – and Bryant’s, to be sure – plan to play for the present? Or the overwhelming evidence that coaching with the big-picture in mind is the surest route to re-building? The answer won’t only decide how much Boozer plays, but will influence Randle’s developmental curve by proxy.
Boozer helps the Lakers, but doesn’t help them the way they need to be helped. And the state of Kobe’s career not withstanding, that should be a big concern for Los Angeles.
Is Boozer a good addition for the Lakers?
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