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If the Lakers even wanted to consider the possibility of bringing reserve guard Jordan Farmar back next season, all they had to do was make a qualifying offer for one year in the amount of $3 million by Wednesday afternoon. The team apparently wasn't interested in retaining that option.Los Angeles let the deadline pass without extending that qualifying offer, thus making Farmar an unrestricted free agent, and eligible to begin negotiating with teams of his choosing anytime after 12:00 ET on July 1st.
It's unclear exactly what Farmar's value will be on the open market, both in terms of annual salary and in terms of the length of a contract. But one thing is certain: by not even bothering to retain the rights to match any offers Farmar may receive from other teams, the Lakers clearly are not interested in keeping Farmar on the roster, at any cost.
ShareL.A. is a team that really has no depth to speak of beyond its top six players, so the fact that they weren't all that interested in bringing Farmar back isn't really that big of a deal in terms of the team's chances at remaining among the league's elite. It speaks more to the fact that Farmar never really fit in 100 percent with the triangle offense in his four seasons with the Lakers, and his stubbornness at times of trying to play outside of the team's system may have been a small factor in the Lakers choosing not to try retaining his services going forward.
At exit interviews last week, Farmar seemed to be looking forward to seeing what opportunities might be out there, above and beyond what might be available to him in Los Angeles.
"I really want to see what kind of player I can be in this league," Farmar said. "I want an opportunity to play more. I know I can do a lot. I know I can lead a team."
Farmar seems like he could thrive in a more up-tempo offense, one that required more instincts and less reading of the defense from the standpoint of seeing all available options before choosing the best one. He seemed hesitant at times last season -- even though it was his fourth in Phil Jackson's triangle system -- which often resulted in bungled plays, careless passes, and needless turnovers.
With Farmar likely gone, and Shannon Brown on the market as well, the Lakers are going to be forced to join the free agent fray with so many of the other teams in the league. The big difference is, while L.A. will simply be looking to add ancillary players who can spell the six who were most responsible for bringing home a second consecutive title, all the teams that have been saving cap space will be trying to (not-so-simply) assemble a collection of superstars who might have a shot of dethroning the back-to-back NBA champs.
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