Which Free Agents Should the Lakers Pursue?

I'm going to go through all the free agents listed on NBA.com's annoying website and whenever I see an interesting name, I'll write a bit about them and give a verdict as to whether the Lakers should pursue them. It'll be good. Trust me. I'll leave off players who have open contracts they'll probably take with some team that's not the Lakers.

Matthew Dellavedova: Dellavedova got a lot of credit for "shutting down" Curry through the first few games of the Finals. Never mind that Steph was recovering from a really obvious concussion against Houston that had a noticeable effect on his shooting performance. Delly's a pretty solid defender but he's a dirty player and he's probably looking for a fat contract after the publicity from the finals. Someone's gonna overpay him. Shouldn't be us. Verdict: No.

Kawhi Leonard: Kawhi is listed at guard for some reason. Seems like at least he should be listed at guard-forward. Anyway, Kawhi is a really great player and a great fit for any team. Worth a max? I don't personally think so. But if San Antonio lets him walk (they won't) and he's interested in the Lakers (he's probably not), we should snap him up. Leonard is the kind of wing you can plug in to virtually any system and he'll be successful. Hardcore defense and unselfish offense. These are buzzwords. Verdict: Yes.

Paul Pierce: Are you kidding? He's 37, presumably going to be overpaid, and one of the shining stars of our franchise's mortal enemy. That being said, it would be hilarious if he chased a ring all the way to LA, which is basically his home town (he's from Oakland but grew up in LA County). Still, he's not worth the money at this point. Verdict: No.

Rajon Rondo: Rondo is 29 going on retired. Who wants a guard who can't shoot, is forgetting how to pass, and has gotten significantly worse on the defensive end, which was his one redeeming characteristic? More importantly, with Kobe and Clarkson sharing minutes at the 2-guard spot, we really want to let Russell develop at PG. Verdict: No.

Dwyane Wade: Wade, on the other hand, is 33 going on 40, at least if you're a member of the media. He can't shoot for shit, he's barely passable on the defensive end, and again, we already have the 1 and the 2 locked down. Wade's not a guy we can build around, and he's not good enough to bring us to the Finals within the next couple years. (There's probably no one that good. Except LeBron, obviously.) Verdict: No.

Jimmy Butler: I actually like Butler's game a LOT. He's a little worse than Kawhi on defense, I'd say, but significantly better on offense as well. I'd be thrilled with Butler as my wing of the future. Verdict: Yes.

Danny Green: Green's one of those guys who gets so beloved by his fanbase that other people start to assume he's a really good player. He's not that good. But he's a competent 3-and-D guy, which is exactly what the Lakers want in their bench at this point. If he's willing to take a cheap-ish contract I'd be fine with him. Just not if we can get one of the really GOOD wings, like Leonard or Butler. Verdict: Yes.

LaMarcus Aldridge: The 29-year-old Aldridge has come into his own over the past few years as one of the best power forwards in the league. He's got good range, is a decent rebounder, and plays solid defense. He's a star-caliber player, but is aging (#BlazersCurse) and refuses to play center. This is kinda bad for the Lakers, whose center rotation currently consists of Mitch Kupchak, a broom in a suit jacket, and a spotlight cover cleverly designed to cast a shadow shaped like a person. We'd also like for Randle to get lots of time at 4, because he probably doesn't have the athleticism to play 3 and he certainly can't play center. That being said, if all else fails, you can't really say no to someone of Aldridge's talents. But I kinda want to. I'm gonna go watch some highlights to convince myself that I want him. [...] Ugh. He's good. Okay, fine. Verdict: Yes.

Luol Deng: Deng is exactly the kind of guy I would have wanted for this team if he was five years younger. As it is, he's aging, losing some of his defensive abilities, and overpaid. No thanks. Verdict: No.

Tim Duncan: As much as I want to laugh this off, it would be fucking hilarious if we signed a 39-year-old Duncan and went on a championship run. And watch him instantly become this passionate player the second he leaves San Antonio. It'll never in a happen in a thousand years, but if it did that would be the single funniest player transaction in NBA history. And the Spurs fans would be so mad. Verdict: No.

Draymond Green: You know what? I'm into it. Give me all the wings named Green you have. I'll take 'em. Verdict: Yes.

LeBron James: Okay, this one is almost definitely not happening, but it also seems like the kind of thing that's not totally outside the realm of possibility. Here's the logic (and a few crucial suppositions): Suppose LeBron is unhappy with his homecoming to Cleveland. Dan Gilbert made the moves but the team was ravaged by injuries, and LeBron is tired of having to carry the team. Even Love didn't contribute all that much, and LeBron is pretty sure Kyrie wouldn't have saved the day. LeBron's getting older. He doesn't have all that many more years in the league, and he doesn't want to waste them with bad ownership. But if he leaves Cleveland, he's instantly a villain once again, perhaps the greatest the league's ever seen. (Just kidding. No one beats the '89 Pistons.) And where do villains go to dominate the league without mercy? Not to mention the Lakers have the league's best GM in Mitch Kupchak (some of you just got the joke from a few paragraphs ago), an upcoming star in Russell, and other free agent prospects besides Bron. LeBron is pretty sure he can carry this team to a championship. And who better to do it with than his old friend/rival Apollo Creed Kobe? Verdict: Yes.

Kevin Love: This one is also probably not happening. And I'm not 100% sure I'd want it to. Love works best when he gets to 1) shoot from distance, and 2) crash the boards. He can't really do that on the Cavs, but then he can't really do it on the Lakers either. But if he wanted to come out, I'm sure we could find a way to use him. We'd just need to find the rarest of flowers, a rim-protecting center, to cover up his weak spots. Verdict: Yes.

Paul Millsap: Millsap played for a team called the Grambling Kittens, which makes me like him, and he's not overly expensive, which makes me like him more. He's definitely a consolation prize after Aldridge, Love, et al., but if he helps bring LA a championship I'll be happy. Verdict: Yes.

Josh Smith: Hey, remember when Josh Smith was a desirable player to have on your roster? Haha, me neither. Verdict: No.

Omer Asik: Remember when Asik got traded to Houston and he had that crazy breakout where he put up 20-rebound games all the time? Well, turns out he only averaged 11.7 RPG that season and only broke 20 rebounds twice. Memory is funny. What's not funny is that Asik has gotten pretty much worse across the board over the past three seasons. I'm not convinced he's capable of being an effective rip protector (he's 7'0 tall but his wingspan is only 7'2). Verdict: No.

Tyson Chandler: Chandler's still a good rebounder and rim protector. I don't want to pay him $15 million a year, but I wouldn't complain about having him on the roster. The one problem is his age, which is 32 and climbing rapidly (at 1 yr/yr). Verdict: No.

Marc Gasol: This dude just came out and said he has no interest in playing for the Lakers. Well... fine then, Marc. I guess you can take your offensive skillset and your defensive excellence and go to some other team. But I bet they don't have 16 championships. Verdict: Yes.

Roy Hibbert: I don't think Hibbert is or will ever be an elite center. But I'm desperate. Verdict: Yes.

DeAndre Jordan: This is the guy I REALLY want. Elite rebounder, great rim protector, very good at converting when close to the basket. By that I mean he converts 74% of his shots from 0-3 feet... and takes 92% of his shots from 0-3 feet. This is a guy who will spend literally all his time in the paint, either playing great defense (he led the league in Defensive Win Shares last year, and I legitimately don't have a better metric for defensive performance) or laying in easy shots. But maybe that's all the Lakers really need from their center. Verdict: Yes.

Greg Monroe: I spent some time researching this guy earlier today as I was trying to decide which big man I'd most want to have out of free agency. Monroe is definitely a ways down the list, but much like Millsap, he's a decent consolation prize. Verdict: Yes.

The Best and Worst NFL Drafts Ever

Ever wondered which NFL drafts were the best ever*? Or maybe which ones were the worst? Maybe you've wondered how 2007's phenomenal draft measures up to the all-time greats? And how bad was the abysmal 2009 draft, exactly? (If you're forgetting, it's the one where the Seahawks took the great Aaron Curry over such first-round studs as... nah, we'll get to that.) Wonder no longer! Instead, keep reading.

* 'Ever' here means since 1960. I have often, publicly, and loudly stated that football began in 1970 (or, more infrequently, in 1981, 1995, or 2004), but in this case I decided to go back to 1960, the first year of the AFL. There is a really good reason for this; it's complicated, but it basically boils down to the fact that the draft started being really competitive and important in 1960. Oh, also, we're only looking at non-supplemental picks here, but I'll address relevant supplemental picks in a few of the drafts.

I actually used some pretty complicated math to make this list, so it's "objective" in the way that sports analysts use the term. I won't get into the details here, but essentially the algorithm I wrote judges the drafts based on both the careers of the best players in the draft and the "average" career of a player from the draft. So a draft having all-time greats improves its stock, as does a draft with a ton of very good players, but you really need both to make the leaderboard.

THE BEST DRAFTS:

#1: 1961.
Quick, name someone who was drafted in 1961! No, Jim Brown was drafted in 1957. Seriously, though, no one I've asked has been able to answer that question. But it turns out, on closer investigation, that the 1961 draft was actually stacked, and this isn't just some weird historical fluke. The top picks of the first round were mostly mediocre; Tommy Mason, Norm Snead, Joe Rutgens, and Marlin McKeever were the first four guys off the board.

But the first round also produced such studs as Mike Ditka, Jimmy Johnson (no, not that Jimmy Johnson; James Earl Johnson), Herb Adderly (one of the old names you have to know), and Bob Lilly. But the later rounds make this draft even better, producing the all-time greats Fran Tarkenton (3.29, meaning a 3rd round pick, 29th overall) and Deacon Jones (14.186, seriously). The class of '61 combined for a mind-boggling 60 First-Team All Pro selections (by FAR the most of all time) and produced 7 Hall of Famers (Tarkenton, Lilly, Adderly, Johnson, Jones, Billy Shaw, and Ditka). It also introduced us to such great Football Names as E.J. Holub, Myron Pottios, Irv Cross, and Houston Antwine. Ant...wine.

#2: 1964.
Lotta old guys you don't hear much about. Carl Eller, Paul Krause, Paul Warfield, Roger Staubach (recognition!), Mel Renfro, Charley Taylor, Leroy Kelly, Bob Hayes, Bob Brown, and Dave Wilcox are the HoFers from this class. Some of them you might recognize their names, others you might not. Don't worry, though, because I can tell you for certain (after copious research) that these guys are good. 1964 had TEN Hall of Famers, which is 25% better than the draft with the second-most. That's an insane amount of talent, even if you recognize very few of the names. Trust the algorithm.

#3: 1983.
Okay, here are some names we know! Dan Marino. John Elway. See, we actually know some players now. Bruce Matthews was in this draft (he was a ridiculously good offensive linemen who was All-Pro at all three interior OL positions and started for at least a season at each of the other two). So was Jim Kelly, the guy who lost four Super Bowls in the early '90s.

Eric Dickerson is the guy you know as the guy who holds the rushing record that Adrian Peterson failed to beat, but whom you should know as the guy who started his career with seasons of 1808 yards (his rookie year!), 2105, 1234, 1821, 1288, and 1659 yards. That's right; he ran for 9915 yards his first six years (and 1311 his seventh). Dickerson has the most rushing yards over the first seven years of his career of ANY running back, beating out LaDainian Tomlinson, Barry Sanders (the rushing GOAT), Emmitt Smith (who played behind the GOAT line), Adrian Peterson, Walter Payton, and Jim Brown (the other GOAT). Now THAT is an incredible list, and I didn't omit anyone. And Dickerson is #1.

Finally, the 1983 draft featured two of the highest-value late-round steals ever: Richard Dent, a DE who went 203rd overall in the 8th round; and Karl Mecklenburg, an LB who went 310th over all in the 12th. (Dent had an unequivocally worse career but made the Hall of Fame, presumably because he played on the great Bears defenses of '85 and '86, while Mecklenberg was better but has only made it to the semi-final round the past four years. EARLY ROUND BIAS!)

#4: 2007.
It may seem early to enthrone the '07 draft class amongst the annals of the all-time greats, but it's not. It's been eight years, for one thing, and most of these guys are already past their primes. Plus my algorithm places them fourth, which is what really matters.

The '07 class was stacked from top to bottom. The Raiders had the first overall pick and took JaMarcus Russell--you can laugh--but despite that, the rest of the draft was actually amazing. Calvin Johnson went second, followed by Joe Thomas; Adrian Peterson was seventh; Patrick Willis, possibly the best middle linebacker I've ever seen, went 11th; Marshawn Lynch was 12th; Darrelle Revis was #14; Joe Staley was picked 28th; Eric Weddle was #37; David Harris, who was apparently amazing in '09 and '10, was the 47th pick; Marshal Yanda went 86th... and JaMarcus Russell went first.

Now, these players might not be Hall of Famers yet, but keep in mind most of them are still playing, earning more and more accolades. As it stands, they already have 29 FTAP selections, which isn't quite as many as any other teams on or near this list, but is still great for seven years. Besides, my algorithm projects 6-7 HOFers (a very good total) from the class. I'm guessing Willis, Revis, Peterson*, Calvin, and Joe Thomas at least are on that level. I'm not sure if anyone else is--my algorithm tends to love the class of '07 a lot because they've been so successful in such a short span--but it's definitely possible we could see Yanda or Weddle (or maybe Lynch?) contend for a spot. Or, who knows? Even JaMarcus Russell! Hahaha. Just kidding.

* Peterson hopefully WON'T make it, not just because he abused his son but also because he's not actually THAT good. But he would have had a good shot based on his achievements, and that's what my algorithm uses.

#5: 1967.
Aaaand we're back to the '60s. Well, turns out there were a lot of great players drafted in the '60s. In this class, the big names are Alan Page (the GOAT DT), Gene Upshaw (a really really good guard), Bob Griese (that guy who quarterbacked the Dolphins' perfect season and later had a kid who grew up to become the less fun half of a quarterback controversy in Chicago during a Super Bowl year with the inexplicable Rex Grossman), Floyd Little, Lem Barney, Willie Lanier, Rayfield Wright, and Ken Houston. Again, these guys were all Hall of Famers, but it's okay if you haven't heard of them.

HM: 1981.
This was maybe the greatest defensive draft ever, primarily because of three players. 1.2 was Lawrence Taylor, the GOAT defensive player, the man who singlehandedly revolutionized the position of OLB, the very notion of pass-rushing, and the role of the left tackle, the man who, along with Mark Gastineau and the Jets' DL, basically forced the NFL to start officially tracking sacks in 1982. 2.38 was Mark Singletary, arguably the greatest MLB of all time and a key player in the Bears' amazing defenses of the '80s. And 1.8 was Ronnie Lott, the greatest safety ever and arguably the most versatile defensive back of all time (he was All-Pro at three positions). Those three guys are responsible, more than anyone, for their teams being the #1 (SF), #2 (Chi), and #3 (NYG) defenses of the 1980s. (It's no coincidence that from '81 to '90, their teams went to 7 Super Bowls, winning all of them--despite all being in the same conference!) These three picks are three of the greatest defensive players ever, and were the cornerstones for the three greatest defenses of the decade, and three of the greatest defenses of all time. That's a lot of 'greatest's and 'of all time's, but they deserve it.

Other players selected in the draft include Rickey Jackson, Howie Long, Russ Grimm, and Kenny Easley, all of whom are either HOFers or (in the case of Easley) were HOF bound before injuries cut short their career.


THE WORST DRAFTS:

t-#1: 1984.
There were no Hall of Famers in this draft, and its 336 players combined for only 8 All-Pro selections. Strangely, that year's supplemental draft featured no less than three HoFers, including one of the greatest QBs and one of the greatest DEs ever in Steve Young and Reggie White, respectively. What???, you ask? 1984 was the year that the NFL held a special supplemental draft for college seniors who had already signed contracts with the CFL or the USFL, after which they played a season or two with their CFL/USFL team and then came over to the NFL. So it's probably not totally fair to call the '84 draft a failure, even though it was.

t-#1: 1992.
There were no HoFers from this class, either. The Colts held both of the first two overall picks and they failed to get even a Pro Bowl player with either of them. Tragically, one of those players was Steve Emtman, a UW alum and one of the greatest college football players ever. There were no All Pros in the first six picks of this draft, and only two in the first round (both with one selection each). The draft as a whole produced 8 FTAP selections, three of which belong to Darren Woodson.

#3: 1966.
Not only are these players you've never heard of, but they're BAD players you've never heard of! I'm not even going to name anyone. There was no one worth knowing in this draft (aside from, perhaps, the lone Hall of Famer, Tom Mack). Their 7 FTAP selections between all drafted players is the third-lowest of any qualifying class (we'll get to the two teams tied for #1).

#4: 1986.
It's a little strange that this team is here, because they do have a combined 14 FTAP selections, which isn't actually that bad. The really bad thing about the '86 draft is how awful the first round was. Now, I should qualify this by saying that the first overall pick, Bo Jackson, is probably one of the greatest athletes ever. But not only was he not a particularly successful football player, but he also refused to play for the team that drafted him (with very good reason--go watch You Don't Know Bo), and even told them so before they drafted him, making the Bucs' first overall pick in this draft possibly the single worst selection in the history of the NFL. (They forfeited his rights before the '87 draft, meaning they literally spent the #1 pick on nothing, despite being warned beforehand.)

The rest of the first round wasn't much better, as only eight players ever made a Pro Bowl, and none was ever named a FTAP. In fact, the first All Pro in the draft was Tom Newberry, taken 50th overall. This draft did send one player, Charles Haley (4.96), to Canton, but it's still pretty abysmal.

#5: 2009.
Subjectively, I think it's a little early to talk about this draft as an all-time bust. Objectively, I would never dream of going against my computer overlord, and it clearly states that the '09 draft was the fifth-worst ever. Here's how bad this draft was: Matthew Stafford, the first overall pick, has made one Pro Bowl in his career. The next SEVEN picks have made a combined total of ZERO. That's seven straight busts from the second pick on. We're talking about the likes of Jason Smith (no longer in the league), Tyson Jackson, Aaron Curry (also retired), Mark Sanchez, Andre Smith, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Eugene Monroe. After B.J. Raji's one Pro Bowl at #9, there's another stretch of three players (Michael Crabtree, Aaron Maybin, and Knowshon Moreno) with zero between them. So the first TWELVE players taken in this draft have combined for two Pro Bowls and zero FTAP selections (all the players in this draft combined for an awful 6 FTAPs total). Even if they've only been playing six years, that's unbelievably bad. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if this draft class ends up even higher (lower?) on this list (right now they get helped a little by my algorithm, which thinks they'll have two HOFers, when their best players are Clay Matthews, LeSean McCoy, Matthew Stafford, and Louis Vasquez. I wouldn't be surprised if this class ended up with 0 HOF reps).

HM: 2008.
Yep. Two atrocious draft classes in a row. The '08 class is slightly less atrocious than '09, featuring such studs decent players as Matt Forte, Josh Sitton (who's on the rise!), Ryan Clady, Duane Brown, Jordy Nelson, and Jamaal Charles. But wait, you say. All those players are good, right? Well, yes and no. The yes is because a lot of those players actually are pretty good. The no is partially because most of them aren't good enough to stand out (all the guys I just named have combined for only five FTAPs, which is not great), and partially because a draft really needs more than a few good players to be considered good. This draft class has 9 FTAP selections. Compare that to the 2010 draft class, which already has 21 (!!!) and might very well be featured in this post if I hadn't made the cutoff date 2009 (in fact they'd be the #2 class*, just behind 1961, although I strongly suspect that number is inflated by the small window of time elapsed since the draft). 2011 even has 15 FTAP choices. So no, it's not too early to say that the class of '08 is bad.

* Just for fun: The 2010 class, as I said, would be #2 on this list. The 2011 class would also be #2, although they score lower than 2010. The 2012 class would be about average. The 2013 class would be bad, but still outside the leaderboard for worst. And the 2014 class throws a Div/0 error. Again, the HTAMAAlgorithms are prone to exaggerate the success of more recent classes, explaining the high placements of the classes of '10 and '11 (although I firmly believe '10 might eventually make this list). For very recent classes (mostly '12-'14), there will be virtually no FTAP selections this early, so it'll probably underrate them. The fact that the '08 and '09 classes still rate this low speaks to just how bad those classes are. (Of course the adjustment for the earlier classes, like '07-'09, is less significant than for the later classes, and shouldn't inflate the ratings much if at all.)

HM: 1976.
One more HM, because it's funny. The first overall pick in this draft, Lee Roy Selmon, was an All-Pro and a Hall of Famer. So was the fifth overall pick, Mike Haynes. Steve Largent went 4.117 and made the Hall of Fame as well, but beyond those three, there's very little talent to speak of in this draft. Jackie Slater and Harry Carson were also HOF inductees, but I'm not really convinced that they should have been; they just played in an era sparse of talent and made a lot of Pro Bowls (and faced little competition in induction) as a result. Because of this weirdness, we get a draft whose players accounted for 5 HOF spots, but only 6 FTAP selections. Meanwhile there are modern players with 4+ FTAP selections who have or will struggle to get into Canton. It's truly bizarre how the voting committee operates.

See you next time!

"The Lakers Get All the Free Agents!"

No, we don't.

In fact, the Lakers kinda don't get many good free agents at all. This is just another blatantly false narrative espoused by the sports media and gullible fans. That's why every single offseason you hear LAL as somewhere "every free agent wants to go." Well, maybe. But very few FAs end up actually crossing over to the greatest team in NBA history. Let's take a walk. Here is every Laker to make an All-Star game for the team, ordered by when they were acquired.

Dwight Howard: Acquired by Trade in 2012 for Andrew Bynum et al. Dwight's the least great Laker ever (suck it, Smush), but since he technically made an All-Star Game the one season he "played" for the Lakers (if you can call what he did playing), I have to include him. This is one of the best examples of a lose-lose trade in NBA history: the Magic gave up their star center to the Lakers, who traded the ticking injury time-bomb of Bynum and a few other nothing players (Josh McBob, who's in the conversation with Smush). Meanwhile Dwight did nothing for a season, was injured half the time, and promptly walked to play with the only player in the NBA who's more of a wimp than he is, James Harden. Wow, look how lucky a franchise the Lakers are.

Pau Gasol: Acquired by Trade in 2008 for Kwame Brown et al., rights to Marc Gasol, and two first round picks. Pau's a future Hall of Famer, although not primarily for his play in the NBA. Still, he was a great acquisition for the Lakers. Most people think this trade was more uneven than it actually was, considering that Marc looks to be a more dominant center than Pau ever was. But it certainly doesn't hurt that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is a recognized genius.

Andrew Bynum: Drafted by Lakers 10th overall in 2005. Bynum was injured for pretty much the majority of the time he was a Laker, but he proved himself by being reasonably effective for the Lakers in our two most recent Finals, and by somehow putting together one of the most dominant seasons by a Lakers big man since Shaq in 2012 (18.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.9 BPG, on 56% shooting), which is how we were able to trade him for Dwight.

Kobe Bryant: Acquired by Trade (as a draft pick) in 1996 for Vlade Divac. Kobe's the greatest Laker ever (suck it, Magic) and has technically spent his whole career with the team, but he was picked 13th overall by Charlotte. The Hornets never considered picking Bryant until the Lakers called them up and offered Divac for Bryant (so effectively for the 13th overall pick). Divac went on to be a starting center for the next 8 years (although he only played for Charlotte for two), so it wasn't exactly a "steal," considering that Kobe was only considered good enough to be taken 13th overall. (Of course, this is also the draft where future HoFer Steve Nash went 15th, All-NBA Peja Stojakovic went 14th, All-NBA Jermaine O'Neal went 17th, and All-Star Zydrunas Ilgauskas went 20th. But that's just because this draft was incredibly stacked.)

Shaquille O'Neal: Signed as Free Agent in 1996. This is the most notable free agent pickup in Lakers history, and also the most recent. And it happened nearly 20 years ago. Admittedly, picking up Shaq is probably one of the best FA acquisitions in NBA history, but this still illustrates how much of the Lakers' talent is acquired through other methods.

Eddie Jones: Drafted by Lakers 10th overall in 1994. Jones was a surprisingly good player in retrospect. He started for the Lakers for a few years and made a couple All-Star games before being traded away just before the Lakers threepeat. Sorry Eddie.

Cedric Ceballos: Acquired by Trade in 1994 for a first-round draft pick (I think). This one was complicated. Ceballos, despite being a relatively successful NBA player (and one of only seven Lakers to average more than 20 PPG during their time with the league), has made such little impression on the modern era that his Wikipedia page doesn't contain information about how he came to the Lakers. Of course, as a hard-working and dedicated sports journalist, I forayed into the depths of the Google search results for "Cedric Ceballos Lakers" and discovered this archived piece from the 1994 Seattle Times detailing the trade. I have no idea why the article was in the Seattle Times, but there you are. Also, apparently Jason Kidd was in a hit-and-run when he was a rookie back in '94.

Nick Van Exel: Drafted by Lakers 37th overall in 1993. Ah yes, the Lakers great Nick Van Exel, otherwise known as the other Lakers All-Star in '98, along with Jones, Shaq, and Kobe. That team got swept by the Jazz who utterly failed to shut down the Bulls in the Finals. I honestly think the Lakers would have had a better shot. What a start to a career that would have been. (For Kobe, not Van Exel.) But, tragically, it was not to be.

A.C. Green: Drafted by Lakers 23rd overall in 1985. Because how do you say no to this face?

James Worthy: Drafted by Lakers 1st overall in 1982. In 1980 the Lakers traded Don Ford to the Cleveland Cavaliers for their 1982 first-round pick and also the staggeringly irrelevant Butch Lee (who was the first Puerto Rican player in the NBA, but not for us). That '82 pick ended up being top two, and guess what, the Lakers won the coin flip, becoming the first and only reigning NBA champion to get a first overall pick the next year. So maybe we're a little lucky.

Magic Johnson: Drafted by Lakers 1st overall in 1979. In 1976, the New Orleans Jazz signed free agent Gail Goodrich, then 33 years old and coming off four straight All Star selections for the Lakers. Goodrich immediately suffered an ACL tear and his career ended a few years later. Per league rules, as compensation for losing Goodrich, the Lakers obtained New Orleans's first round picks in 1977, 1978, and 1979 (as well as an additional second-rounder). (I have no idea why the cost of signing Goodrich was so outrageously high.) The 1977 pick became Kenny Carr. The 1978 pick was traded to the Celtics, who thankfully used their other pick to select Larry Bird (although how amazing would it have been if the Lakers, or rather the Jazz, singlehandedly provided the NBA with its greatest individual rivalry ever?). The third, the 1979 pick, ended up being a top-two selection. This meant the Lakers and Bulls flipped a coin for the first overall pick. The Bulls lost and selected David Greenwood. The Lakers won and selected Magic Johnson. Funny how these things happen.

Jamaal Wilkes: Signed as Free Agent in 1977. So Wilkes is the second free agent signing on this list, and the first since 1996. And while Wilkes was good for us (two ASG appearances in eight seasons with the team), he wasn't exactly Shaq or Kareem. (I'm pretty sure the reason he's in the Hall of Fame is because of the four championships he won on the Lakers. Or more accurately, the four championships that Magic, Kareem, and later Worthy won while Wilkes was on the Lakers.)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Acquired by Trade in 1975 for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, and Junior Bridgeman. Okay, so this one was pretty heavily in the Lakers' favor, especially since Kareem had requested a trade to either New York or LA. But to be fair, several of those players turned out to be good acquisitions! Seriously, though, basically what happened is that the Lakers traded two good players and two blue-chip prospects for Kareem, who played 14 seasons and won five titles with the team. This is one of the very few times that the Lakers being the Lakers actually helped them acquire talent, although again, it's not as though Kareem forced his way onto the Lakers. He just requested a trade to a big city.

Norm Nixon: Drafted by Lakers 22nd overall in 1977.

Wilt Chamberlain: Acquired by Trade in 1968 for Darrall Imhoff, Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark. The motivations for the trade of Chamberlain, the most dominant player of all time, are unclear. He definitely wanted out of Philly, and he might have requested a trade to Los Angeles in particular, but it's not as though the Sixers got cheated. Clark in particular turned into an excellent player with Philadelphia, while Chamberlain's career on the Lakers only lasted five years (although he did of course contribute to the Lakers' 1972 championship run).

Archie Clark: Drafted by Lakers 37th overall in 1966. You and I both heard of Clark for the first time when he was included in the Chamberlain trade.

Gail Goodrich: Drafted by Lakers as a Territorial Pick in 1965. Territorial picks were this weird thing the NBA used to do where teams could pick players who grew up in the region where the team was active. So basically because Goodrich was from LA, the Lakers were able to draft him as a territorial pick.

Darrall Imhoff: Acquired by Trade in 1964 (I think). Imhoff is notable for two things. First, being one of the guys traded for Chamberlain, and second, being the guy that Chamberlain scored 100 points on. (Technically he only played 20 minutes of that game and it wasn't while he was on the Lakers, but still.)

Jerry West: Drafted by Lakers 2nd overall in 1960. The 1960 draft was really funny. Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, two of the 12 or so greatest players ever, went 1-2 overall. Then you had HoFer Lenny Wilkens at 6 and two All-Stars 3rd and 4th. Of other other eleven (!!) players picked in the first two rounds, four never even played in the NBA. The other NINETEEN (!!!!!) rounds of the draft produced fourteen future NBA players and no All-Stars. Weird. Anyway, Jerry West is a HoFer and the Logo and an awesome GM and everything, as well as the only player to win Finals MVP as a member of the losing team (despite LeBron arguably deserving it last year).

Rudy LaRusso: Drafted by Lakers 10th overall in 1959. LaRusso was Jewish, which answers the immortal question: "Are there any Jewish basketball players in NBA history besides Amare?" Stunningly, his record of 50 points is listed in Wikipedia as the most ever by a Jewish player at that point. Who else is Jewish??

Elgin Baylor: Drafted by Lakers 1st overall in 1958. Baylor was basically the first great athlete in NBA history. Of course, this made him WELL ahead of his time, since the NBA wouldn't really get athletic on the wings until Dr. J came to the NBA in 1976. One side effect of Baylor's insane relative athleticism was also one of the all-time great feats in NBA history: In 1962, while on active Army duty in Washington state, able to play only on a weekend pass and barely able to practice, Baylor averaged 38.3 PPG, 18.6 RPG, and 4.6 APG over 48 games. Yes, numbers were massively inflated in the early 1960s, but even so, Baylor's accomplishment is immortal. Sadly, injuries forced Baylor's retirement early in the 1972 season and he never won a championship.

Frank Selvy: Acquired in Some Manner in 1958 (and again in 1959). I have no idea how the Lakers got Selvy, except that I know we didn't draft him. He's best known for missing a wide-open 12-foot jumper in game 7 of the 1962 Finals against the Celtics which would have won the game and ended the Celtics' streak.

Hot Rod Hundley: Acquired in Trade in 1957 (as the #1 overall draft pick).

Larry Foust: Acquired in Some Manner in 1957. There's just not that much useful information on guys who were relevant in the '50s or before.

Dick Garmaker: Drafted by Lakers as a Territorial Pick in 1955. Come on, you're glossing over these as much as I am. This guy's Wikipedia page is two paragraphs.

Clyde Lovellette: Drafted by Lakers 9th overall in 1952. Lovellette was actually a really good player. He was drafted by the Lakers but left after a few years, eventually ending up on the Celtics (hiss!).

Vern Mikkelsen: Drafted by Lakers as a Territorial Pick in 1949. Mikkelsen is the first player on this list who was a significant part of the first great Lakers dynasty, which won four championships in five years between 1950 and 1954, including the first threepeat in NBA history!

Slater Martin: Acquired in Some Manner in 1949. I should note that prior to the '80s, very few players were acquired through free agency, since that would necessitate significant compensation (remember how we got Magic?). So most of these "acquired in some manner" players were probably acquired through trades that I can't find details on because they happened in the '40s and '50s.

Jim Pollard: Acquired in Some Manner in 1947. Won five chips with the Lakers. Because we also won a BAA championship in 1949.

George Mikan: Acquired in Some Manner in 1947. The first GOAT in NBA history. Mikan was 6'10 and slow in a time when tall players were considered too awkward to ever be successful athletes. Coach Ray Meyer at DePaul taught him how to use his height effectively and drilled him until he developed basketball skills. He dominated the NBA, albeit for a relatively short span and with a skillset that would only have dominated the NBA in the exact time period he played. But still. Eat your heart out, Jordan. You may have won more championships than Mikan, but you'll never be 6'10, and you didn't invent the threepeat. The Lakers did.

So where does that leave us? Here's the count. 30 total Lakers have made the All-Star Game. Of these, there were:

- 8 players acquired by Trade;
- 15 players Drafted;
- 5 players Acquired in an Unknown Manner (i.e. probably by trade);
- 2 players acquired through Free Agency.

So only 2 of the Lakers' 30 All Stars were acquired through free agency. I can make some concessions, though. Yes, one of the players we got through FA was very good, and the other was an all-time great. Yes, it's possible that some of the trades (e.g. Wilt, Kareem, Dwight) were influenced by the players wanting to come to Los Angeles. Yes, there might have been other free agent acquisitions which didn't pan out into All Star selections, and consequently don't show up on this list. But even so, this article should show fairly conclusively that the Lakers do NOT rely on free agency to acquire talent. (And it's worth noting that, if not for basketball reasons, the Lakers would have picked up historically great point guard Chris Paul for Pau Gasol, who later left the team anyway. That trade, which was definitively NOT an instance of a player forcing their way to the Lakers, would have been the first entry on this list.)