Lakers Free Agency Splashes: Shades of Payton and Malone
This year’s NBA free agency headline: a flurry of big moves by the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2013 All-Star team is being rebuilt in LA, with the Lakers adding Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard to a roster that already included Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Marc Gasol. As Sonics fans remember well, this isn’t the first time the Lakers have bet big on aging stars in free agency. Let’s turn back the clock.
The year is 2003. The San Antonio Spurs are fresh off their 2nd NBA title, having knocked off the 3-time defending champion Lakers in the second round. In LA, the Shaq/Kobe relationship is beginning to fray, and the Lakers’ dynasty is at risk of collapsing. The West is growing stronger, with teams like San Antonio, Dallas, Sacramento, and Minnesota emerging as real threats to LA’s dominance. Outside of Shaq and Kobe, the Laker’s roster is unimpressive and Phil Jackson’s squad lacks a true third star. Knowing that they must make moves, Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak reach for a surprising duo – 35-year-old Gary Payton and 40-year-old Karl Malone.
Several months prior, Payton had been traded from the Sonics to Milwaukee in the Ray Allen deal, reuniting him with Coach George Karl. Payton’s teams in Seattle hadn’t had a true shot at a championship since Shawn Kemp left in 1997, and Milwaukee wasn’t close either. After the Bucks’ season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Nets, Payton decided he was ready to move on to the next stage of his career: pursuing a title. The Lakers made sense as a destination in every way.
In addition to Payton, the Lakers signed longtime Jazz forward Karl Malone. Things were changing in Utah; John Stockton had just retired and the Jazz were poised to rebuild after 20 straight playoff seasons. Like Payton, Malone was still looking for a ring and the Lakers were happy to bring him aboard.
The 2003-04 Lakers began the season as favorites to win the title, and cruised to an 21-8 start. One of those losses – the Seattle SuperSonics in Seattle. January 2, 2004 was Gary Payton’s first-ever game as an opponent of the Sonics. The Glove dropped 24 points in a losing effort. Ray Allen led the way for the Sonics with 35 points and 9 assists as the Sonics knocked off LA 111-109.
Ultimately, the Lakers’ veteran superteam came up short in the playoffs. Although they won 56 games and reached the Finals, they bowed out to the gritty Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The Lakers’ experiment was short-lived; Payton was flipped to Boston after the season while Malone retired.
The parallels between the Lakers’ 2003 and 2021 free agencies are real. Will the team of aging stars get it done this time? Time will tell.