If I were Mitch Kupchak: How to fix the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers season ended in disappointing fashion for the second straight year in 2012. After the Oklahoma City not-Seattle Thunder defeated the Lakers in just five games of their best-of-seven series, it became apparent that the Lakers need to make changes in order to compete with the best teams in the NBA and make one final championship run during the twilight of Kobe Bryant's career.

Yet leading up the 2012 NBA Draft, Lakers' General Manager Mitch Kupchak made no significant moves and indicated that fans should not expect significant moves. Hopefully Kupchak is practicing the ancient art of misdirection, because if the Lakers want to remain contenders, the team needs more than mild tuning this offseason. If Kupchak and the Lakers simply stay the course, I fear they'll end up being the worst type of team you can be in the NBA - a non-contending playoff team.

Not that anyone is going to ask me, but here is what I would do if I were Mitch Kupchak (or Jim Buss or whomever has the final say on roster decisions at this point)...

Trade 1 and Trade 2
The two greatest assets the Lakers have are their two big men - Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. It seems the team is looking to trade Gasol but reluctant to trade Bynum. For the right parts, I wouldn't be reluctant to trade either. I like Gasol and think he's one of the most talented players in the NBA, but after last season it's apparent that his time in purple and gold is at its end. The Lakers should look to move him and seek athleticism in return.

The Rockets were interested in Gasol last offseason, and given that Houston GM Daryl Morey has a stockpile of young players with nowhere to move them, Gasol could be an excellent target for the Rockets again. If the Lakers can bring back athletic small or power forwards as well as Luis Scola, whom the Rockets are shopping around, that's a deal worth making. Or the Lakers can look to ship Gasol to the East, perhaps making a deal with Philadelphia involving Andre Iguodala. Whatever the move is, the Lakers need to get faster, younger and more dynamic.

Which leads to my second trade - Andrew Bynum to Orlando for Dwight Howard. It's hard to imagine Howard's trade value dropping any lower. A straight up Bynum for Howard deal is the best the Magic can hope for at this point. Bynum's offensive game is more refined than Howard's, but Howard's superior athleticism and physical presence could have a bigger impact on a Lakers team that will continue to be built around a grizzled veteran in Bryant.

The final part of this equation is to find a satisfactory point guard (i.e. not Ramon Sessions) to sign for the midlevel exception, and to amnesty the defensive specialist formerly known as Ron Artest - and formerly known as a defensive specialist - in an effort to qualify for the midlevel exception.

Or...

Amnesty Away
The biggest challenge the Lakers face in attempting to remake their roster is salary cap constraints. However; there is a cure-all move they can make - amnesty Kobe Bryant.

Bryant's salary is something close to $10 million more than any other player in the league. The Lakers would be the marque destination for all of the NBA's highest profile free agents and free agents to be, but they lack the salary flexibility to make any significant signings. Clearing Bryant's salary off their books and moving Gasol and/or Artest could be the path of least resistance back to the top.

There are consequences of course. The Lakers risk alienating their fan base by releasing their most popular player, and Bryant is likely to spur the team by signing with the Clippers, making them legitimate championship contenders. As a Bryant and consequently a Lakers fan, I don't want this to happen. Still, it's a conversation Kupchak and the Buss clan should be having.