The LA Lakers roster is filled with expiring contracts. Thus, they are usually fodder for trade rumors. However, most teams fixed their players' contracts to expire this season.

The demand for expiring contracts dropped, and the Lakers were not able to get an asset, even for Pau Gasol. The trade rumors focused on the Lakers making a salary dump, but they assert that unlike most teams in the league, it didn't matter to them.

In the Steve Blake trade, they were able to get players in return. According to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, that was their priority. From NBC LA:

"Steve Blake has been here almost four years, and as a person, as a player, we love him."

 However, the NBA is a business, and the players are commodities with fluctuating value. "Really, got to the point where we needed to free up some time in the backcourt and look at Jordan (Farmar) and give Kendall (Marshall) the time that he's earned, and let's review and evaluate where we are with those two players."

"And the other part of it is we got back two players that are developing," Kupchak referred to new acquisitions Bazemore and Brooks.

This is still very questionable reasoning. The Lakers fans were not buying it, as Steve Blake is a more consistent contributor than anyone he mentioned.

Kupchak continues to defend their decision: "We were more concerned with making a basketball deal. Yea, if we make a basketball deal or two basketball deals, which means you're getting back a player you like or you're getting back a pick and go below the tax threshold, that's something that we would like to have done."

"Quite frankly, we did have an opportunity to go below the tax threshold, but there were no basketball components, and that's unacceptable at this organization. I think the expression would be a 'salary dump.' That's not what this organization would do."

In a way, this is a denial of the tanking strategy, which is something that GMs always have to say.

"If we could have gotten picks or players that we felt good about going forward, then we would have done that. But we did have opportunities to go below the threshold, and we wouldn't do it."

Nice to know the Lakers are not scrimping on money. They went blank on the trades and have only one draft pick. They would really need to spend.

"We'll always be in the hunt because of the franchise, ownership, the legacy and the city itself. Los Angeles, our fans, our support here, that's an advantage we always have."