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5 Free Agency Mistakes the Los Angeles Lakers Must Avoid in 2015

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5 Free Agency Mistakes the Los Angeles Lakers Must Avoid in 2015

Rajon Rondo
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The free agent period has a chance to make or break a contender. The Los Angeles Lakers know that better than most — but even a franchise with as storied a history and glitzy a market as the Lakers needs to avoid these five mistakes if it wants to look back fondly on their decisions.

5. Signing stars on the decline

Dwayne Wade, Rajon Rondo
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5. Signing stars on the decline

Dwayne Wade, Rajon Rondo
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I'm looking at you, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade. It is always dangerous to pay for big names who no longer have big games, but doubly so for a team that's trying to get younger. Even if Wade or Rondo performs well in the first year, odds are that either signing won't look good in two to three years when, the Lakers' championship window hopefully begins to open again.

4. Roadblocking their top draft pick

Greg Monroe
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4. Roadblocking their top draft pick

Greg Monroe
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It should be a top priority to find instant minutes for whoever the Lakers draft at No. 2 overall later this month. Roadblocking that player with a more experienced veteran with a similar skillset (say, Greg Monroe if the Lakers end up with Jahlil Okafor) could potentially set the rebuilding process back years.

3. Going after one-dimensional players

Brook Lopez
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3. Going after one-dimensional players

Brook Lopez
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Perhaps the greatest lesson of the last two post-seasons is that in order to be a top level team, well-rounded players who can do as many things at a high level are required. Versatility is the new commodity, and the way the NBA is headed, players like Brook Lopez, Al Jefferson, and Monta Ellis lose a lot of their value.

2. Overpaying for middling talent

Aaron Brooks
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2. Overpaying for middling talent

Aaron Brooks
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Most of the free agent contracts that end up looking bad after a year or two are of this variety. A decent player goes on a terrific late-season run and gets handed a big contract he doesn't deserve — it's a story as old as free agency itself. Corey Brewer, Aaron Brooks, and Kosta Koufos are all candidates to receive contracts that outpace their production. The Lakers would be wise to stay away.

1. Doing Nothing

Wesley Matthews Lakers
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1. Doing Nothing

Wesley Matthews Lakers
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Despite all these doomsday warnings, the biggest mistake the Lakers can make is standing pat. Next summer, everybody will have tons of cap space thanks to the salary cap hike, and a dollar will not go nearly as far as it does today. Even if the Lakers strike out and can't land a superstar, filling in the gaping whole on the wing with a young player like Wes Matthews, Khris Middleton, or DeMarre Carroll for $8-10 million a year makes sense.

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