Lakers GM says LeBron/Carmelo hopes were never realistic; 'We'll get somebody'

The Los Angeles Lakers failed to make a big splash in free agency despite operating with a decent amount of salary cap room, but their chances of landing a top name never really seemed that great.

But hey, A for effort, and positive marks for general manager Mitch Kupchak taking a self-aware look at how the team's summer played out. The team should be a little better, and that's probably all that was in the cards given how unlikely a pursuit of LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony was.

"Our expectations with either player," Kupchak explained to The Los Angeles Times in an article published Friday. "Just based on what we perceived the environment to be...we never felt it was realistic that we could get one or both. But if you don't try, you don't know."

His remarks reflect the exact attitude a team like the Lakers should take into an offseason. They're a big market, they have Kobe Bryant, and they have a rich history, which gets them in the room with just about anybody.

Now, the team turns their attention to finding reinforcements in the future. Bryant has two years and $48.5 million on his contract but the team is basically free of cumbersome contracts after this season, providing them ample flexibility in 2015 and a potential boatload of cap space in 2016, when the salary cap could rise substantially.

"We'll get somebody," Kupchak said without a specific timeline. "At some point we will."

That might be a tough sentiment for Laker fans to hear, but the reality is that the team isn't likely to land a superstar free agent until they can first land one via trade or by developing a young player into a star. Bryant is a draw, but one on the last legs of his career, and so other superstars may want to see additional support before making a jump.