Steve Blake News

The NBA free agency period got quite a bit more interesting with the development that Monta Ellis will opt out of his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks and test the market.

The Los Angeles Lakers have little room to operate in free agency this offseason, owing $66.8 million to a core four of Kobe Bryant , Pau Gasol , Steve Nash and All that before presenting Dwight Howard with a five-year, $118 million offer.

With the offseason just around the corner, SS&R is going to take a weekly look at some of the most important offseason storylines.

Feb 1, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons point guard Will Bynum during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Palace.

Jun 1, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George battles for position with Miami Heat small forward LeBron James during the second half in game six of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Los Angeles Lakers as presently constructed do not seem capable of contending for a title.

I know. I know! Take a seat. Keep your mind open. Give me a second to make the case.

Please join Susan Bible for her NBA Chat this Saturday at 11:00 am EST. Susan is a Newlines Editor and a member of the fantasy team at HOOPSWORLD.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant watches his team play the San Antonio Spurs in the second half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2013, in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Lakers hold one pick in June's NBA draft, and it's a second-round selection that comes at No.

Apr 28, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers point guard Darius Morris drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Staples Center.

Pau Gasol struggled a lot last season due to injuries, but hopefully he'd be healthy enough to produce.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash said Thursday morning on the witness stand in court that he expects to come back to the Phoenix area after he ends his NBA career.

Robin Lopez of the New Orleans Pelicans waits for play against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California on April 9, 2013.

Few, if any post players are as talented as Pau Gasol is. The only person who may have a claim to the array of post moves Pau possesses would be his brother, Marc Gasol.

Logic tells us that an athlete's career can usually be diagrammed in an arc shape, where age and ability meet at a certain point and each athlete is working at peak performance.

As we have seen over the last two years, no possibility can be counted out when it comes to Lakers center Dwight Howard and the long-awaited signing of what will be his third contract, which will happen shortly after he hits free agency in July.

Kobe Bryant was named to the All-NBA first team for the eleventh time in his career after an outstanding 2012-2013 campaign.

Phil Jackson picked up the phone and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was on the other line.