This kind of sums up the situation. (Getty Images)
This kind of sums up the situation for the Lakers. (Getty Images)

The Lakers are trapped between two paradigms. The first idea for making themselves relevant is "they're the Lakers." That means they make their own rules. They don't have to build through the draft. They don't have to be patient. They don't have to be considerate with spending. The belief is the Lakers, and the idea of the Lakers will bring in enough. 

After all, this team got Shaquille O'Neal from Orlando, clean. They traded what (at the time) was nothing for Pau Gasol (which actually became Marc Gasol in a pretty even trade in hindsight, but only in hindsight). They landed Lamar Odom back and Ron Artest (or whatever he's calling himself now) on sweetheart discounts. The Lakers are a desirable destination for players, even if that was six years ago. 

The second line of thought is the new CBA changed things. Kobe Bryant isn't the draw the Lakers believe he is, even if he's not the deterrent to signing free agents the ESPN article made him out to be. The repeater tax essentially makes it impossible to just blow everyone out of the water with money, and if it doesn't, then the $24 million owed to Bryant next season does the trick. 

If you want sustainable success you need: a top-five player, to developing young talent on rookie deals you can parlay into extensions using Bird rights and free agency upgrades. Look at what Golden State has done, for example. 

The Lakers are trapped between those two ideas, and whenever you hear from outlets with access to management's thought process or even the Buss family, they tend to lean toward the former: "We're the Lakers!"

Which brings us to the latest from Kevin Ding at Bleacher Report, which is along the lines of "what the Lakers are thinking." Ding suggests the plan essentially remains: "We're the Lakers!" To wit: 

The draft is viewed as "supplemental." 

The plan is to aggressively pursue free agents this summer, even if the top free agents aren't available: 

Even if top unrestricted free agents such as Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Greg Monroe and Rajon Rondo (or restricted free agents Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green) don't want to come to the Lakers or switch teams at all this summer, the Lakers do plan on upgrading the roster in some meaningful way. It is imperative to show some roster progress next season to set the table to sell Kevin Durant and others in 2016.

via With Kobe Bryant Era Ending, Steps for Lakers' Return to Prominence Are Clear | Bleacher Report

There's speculation the Lakers could look to trade Julius Randle, who missed almost the entire season because of a broken leg. 

A huge chunk of their plan rests on "rebuilding their brand."

Now, if you look at this through purple-and-gold lenses, it's the team not settling for being mediocre. The Lakers aren't going to just act like other pitiful teams. They're the Lakers! They don't rebuild, they reload! And you never know what will happen! They could land Kevin Durant! 

However, another way to look at it is ... isn't this the Nets? The Nets moved to Brooklyn with deep pockets, mortgaged their future for stars, focused on branding and tried targeting the idea of Brooklyn itself making them good. Now they're a sad, aging mess unlikely to make the playoffs and desperate to unload free agents. 

But of course, the Nets don't have the Lakers' history of success. Yet, that selling point failed to keep Dwight Howard and failed to lure LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony. And the idea of spending money on free agency to upgrade the roster no matter what is really dangerous. That's how the Pistons got themselves in trouble. Twice. No one's taking a discount to play for the Lakers, unless they're someone like Nick Young. So you'd be overpaying for B-level free agents, and that can get you in a world of hurt. 

Speaking of, the piece also suggests Young as a "developing" piece, suggesting at age 29, he can "show he can do a lot of what Kobe Bryant does," which is a suggestion that caused me to spit coffee all over my screen. Young was benched in the fourth quarter earlier this week. 

The ideal scenario: Keep Randle, he develops into a star; draft a young big like Karl-Anthony Towns with their lottery pick in June, he develops into a star; and then they land a star who is looking to get out of his situation (think someone like Russell Westbrook if the Batman to his Robin -- Durant -- were to head to his personal hometown Gotham; Westbrook has offered no indication he would want to leave OKC but it's at least a plausible scenario which is what we're reaching for here). Then you have a core going forward. But that probably starts after Bryant retires. 

The other component you have to consider is the organization could be spreading information to satiate league's the largest fan base and its unrealistic expectations. Bucks fans are happy if the team is trying to become "good." Hornets fans just don't want the team to be terrible. Lakers fans expect titles. That's what they're used to. But that attitude does seem to be prevalent in the Lakers' front office. 

The Lakers don't want to be "just another franchise." They want to behave as they have the past 40 years, as the league's premier place to play, where Magic Johnson became an icon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became a legend, where stars demanded to play and where championships were the standard, not the dream. The question is whether that remains a sustainable and effective approach in the NBA. 

Maybe it is. If the Chris Paul trade hadn't been vetoed by Hornets ownership (yes, the league was acting as ownership in that situation and the hub-bub over this is ridiculous to this day), or if the Howard trade had worked out as it should have, we wouldn't be here. But the fact remains the Lakers seem in denial about their situation. That defiance has served them before.

Will it again?