The champagne still hasn’t dried on the Lakers’ jerseys from last night. Orlando hasn’t cleaned out their lockers yet. Yet, when time ran out on the 2008-09 NBA season, the clock began on the start of every team’s offseason. Contenders can use the Lakers NBA championship run as motivation, taking a bitter loss from the season before, and using it to push the team towards getting better in key areas the entire season.
Now that the offseason has begun, the Lakers and Magic face some very interesting decisions ahead. While I will be doing a full season in review for both teams later in month, for now let’s take a brief snapshot at what lies ahead for each.
Orlando: The Magic will look to re-sign Hedo Turkoglu this offseason, though he should receive some offers from other teams. Jameer Nelson’s play in the Finals proved to some critics that Orlando should have not brought him back so soon. If the Magic are able to retain their core playmakers together, Orlando will be right up in the mix again next season.
Los Angeles: The Lakers sense of urgency to win the NBA Title this season was huge, as they knew this offseason they faced contract years of Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. The title win could help the Lakers convince both players to take less to stick around and attempt a repeat. If you were to bet which one would leave at this point, I would say Ariza would be the man, as not only does he have more upside long term, but also will draw much more attention from other teams.
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