Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday that the team is prepared to “go all in” once free agency begins Monday night

When prospective free agents once walked into the Lakers’ facility, the visuals spoke for themselves.

The Lakers’ 10 of their 16 NBA championships in Jeanie Buss’ office sit outside of a window overseeing the practice facility, reinforcing what drives the franchise. The Lakers’ championship banners and retired jerseys hang on the walls of the practice court, showing the opportunity and pressure to follow along the strong lineage of NBA greats. Outside of the Lakers’ headquarters stood the rest of the city of Los Angeles with beautiful beaches, Hollywood marketing opportunities and perfect climate provides the perfect backdrop on what becomes available as a Laker.

But the times have changed. The Lakers are coming off their worst season in L.A. franchise history. A new labor deal constructed three years ago has both ensured harsher penalties for high-spending teams and a more competitive landscape. As much as the Lakers’ brand remains global, such prospective free agents have reached their own brands in that stratosphere even without playing in a big market.

So once free agency hits Monday night at 9:01 p.m., how will the Lakers sell their franchise beyond just pointing to their trophies?

“We do more than that. It depends,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday following the NBA Draft at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo. “Sometimes you have to go to their city and you can’t point to the trophies. Sometimes they come here. Sometimes you have to go to an office in Beverly Hills and meet there. Every situation is different too and unique. Every player looks at things differently. A lot of times free agencies are conducted by phone at midnight and sometimes it’s a process that involves a presentation and a trip on an airplane.”

So what will that process entail for high-profile agents, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony? The Lakers want to meet with both prospects, but have not received clarity on if that would happen. But Kupchak said in general terms that the Lakers are fully ready to make their pitch to players of such star caliber if given the opportunity.

“If any of those players want to make a move, we’re prepared,” Kupchak said. “When we get word, when we’re allowed to get word, we’ll go all out.”

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“Julius Randle of University of Kentucky is interviewed by the media after a pre-draft workout at the Lakers gym in El Segundo, CA. Tuesday June 17, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)”

The consolation prize for the Lakers’ worst season in L.A. franchise history came in the form of Kentucky’s Julius Randle, a bruising forward that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak expressed surprise over being available Thursday for the seventh pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.

But after the Lakers’ losses piled up last season with never-ending injuries, will Randle help the purple and gold end that string of bad luck? Multiple Yahoo and ESPN reports indicated several NBA executives felt concerned with Randle’s right foot and suspected that it would need surgery. That fear stemmed from Randle breaking his right foot in the second game of his senior season at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Texas. A screw was then inserted into the foot.

Yet, Kupchak downplayed the seriousness surrounding Randle’s previous injury.

“He’s been cleared and will be monitored going forward,” Kupchak said Thursday at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. “With any injury, there’s always a possibility it can be reinjured. Certainly that is something that we considered in the selection process. But we just felt his talent was such that even he had to miss a period of time with that kind of injury, it could be six months if necessary, it would not impact his career. At his age, even if he does reinjure it, there’s no reason why he can’t play 12-14 more years at a very high level.”

Kupchak conceded uncertainty whether Randle would play in Las Vegas Summer League from July 11-21, but Kupchak said that had nothing to do with his foot and everything to do with whether they would sign his rookie contract beforehand.
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In what served as the first of many steps in their rebuilding process, the Lakers selected Kentucky forward Julius Randle with their seventh overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday.

The Lakers had stayed pretty open minded about their draft approach. They tried to shop around their seventh pick in hopes of acquiring more seasoned talent than an NBA rookie. They remained open toward selecting Kansas center Joel Embiid if he were available and his medical report surrounding his surgically repaired right foot wasn’t serious. But perhaps to the Lakers’ dismay, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Embiid with their third pick.

The Lakers liked Randle after performing in an individual workout earlier this month. A Lakers source considered Randle more versatile and polished than Arizona forward Aaron Gordon (selected fourth overall by the Orlando Magic) and Indiana forward Noah Vonleh.

Randle posted a nation-leading nation-leading 24 double doubles with the Wildcats and is considered a physical force inside. He also impressed the Lakers in his individual workout with his mid-range shooting and mobility.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

The Lakers’ Nick Young reacts after sinking a 3-point shot during their game against the Heat at the Staples Center December 25, 2013. The Heat beat the Lakers 101-95. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

As it often turned out during a basketball game, Nick Young has the ball in his hands.

The Lakers announced on Wednesday that Young formally opted out of his $1.2 million player option, something Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in statement that “we anticipated and expected.” But Kupchak also suggested how Young handles his pending free agency will ultimately dictate his Lakers future.

“We very much appreciate his contributions to last season’s team, and we will hopefully be able to bring him back,” Kupchak said in a statement. “However, he, his agent and the market will dictate his future direction.”

After leading the Lakers last season with a career-high 17.9 points, Young told this newspaper last week that his preference to stay in the purple and gold hinged on a few variables. One, he wants a multi-year deal. Two, Young expressed willingness to take a hometown discount if he maintained his same role and felt optimistic about the Lakers’ rebuilding plan.

The Lakers are reluctant to offer any role player, including Young, any multi-year deal so they can maximize financial flexibility on high-profile players. Even if the Lakers want Young to stay because of his scoring and vibrant personality that made him a fan favorite, his future also partly hinges on which coach the Lakers hire and how Young would fit in with their constructed roster.

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Photo courtesy of DMCC

Those billboards plastered around Los Angeles that pleaded for Dwight Howard to stay did not work so well.

Howard ignored them and left for Houston in the 2013 offseason for reasons involving a more talented and younger roster, personality clashes with Kobe Bryant, philosophical differences with Mike D’Antoni and uncertainty whether the Lakers’ front office had the same vision the late owner Jerry Buss in guiding the franchise back into championship contention. Meanwhile, sentiment within the Lakers remained split on whether the campaign was en empty gesture asking Howard to stay or a look that made an accomplished organization look desperate.

With free agency on the horizon once again, another billboard campaign has started. But the Lakers have nothing to do with it. Instead, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, a Lakers fan based in Dubai, has launched his own billboard efforts to convince Nick Young to stay after opting out of his $1.2 million player option in hopes of a longer and more lucrative deal with the purple and gold. Sulayem, the executive chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Center, began a two-week venture on June 21 that entails advertisements on billboards, bus stops near Staples Center featuring a likeness of Young’s smile and gold studs on his teeth spelling out the word, “STAY.”

“These campaigns are not just about creating noise they are all about supporting legends that deserve recognition for their continuous drive that inspires and exceeds expectations of millions of fans and supporters every day,” Bin Sulayem said in a statement. “In my view, Nick Young epitomizes exactly that and it would be amazing to see him in action at LA Lakers next season as well.”
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LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat drives on Pau Gasol #16 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game at American Airlines Arena on January 23, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The late Lakers owner Jerry Buss often expressed confidence in throwing his poker chips onto the table after drawing a powerful hand.

But this draw might not be one of them.

The Lakers will be among most of the 30 NBA teams that will try to meet both with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony once they become unrestricted free agents June 30 at 9:01 p.m. Pacific Time. But Bovada, an online betting site, hardly has much confidence in that pair. Bovada currently lists the odds of James joining the Lakers at 20-1, while expressing more optimism that he will either retain his talents in South Beach (1-4) or return to Cleveland (5-1). Bovada believes other outside suitors have a better chance than the Lakers at wooing James, including the Chicago Bulls (9-1), Clippers (9-1) and Houston Rockets (19-2).

Could the Lakers settle on Anthony as a consolation prize?

Don’t hold your breath.

Bovada believes the Lakers have 15-2 odds to land Melo, falling below the Bulls (5-7) and New York Knicks (5-2), Rockets (13-2) and Miami Heat (13-2).
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