Lakers News and Rumors: Jeremy Lin, Kyle Lowry Could Be Los Angeles-Bound To Replace Steve Nash

By John Santisteban | Mar 10, 2014 01:31 PM EDT

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The Los Angeles Lakers have been nothing but disappointment this season as they are now on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

The championship window for superstar Kobe Bryant is slowly closing, and the Lakers are expected to make moves this summer to give Bryant a chance to win his sixth championship ring before he call it quits.

One of the things that the Lakers are expected to address this offseason is their point guard rotation, which has been hit by a multitude of injuries this season.

Free-agent pickup Kendall Marshall has been great this season, but is not the type of point guard that could make the Lakers a title contender again.

Steve Nash, who was projected to form a fearsome duo with Bryant when he signed with the Lakers in 2012, has not been a factor because of injuries.

Nash could be waived by the Lakers this summer and a report suggested that the Lakers should consider acquiring Jeremy Lin or Kyle Lowry in the offseason to become a contender again next season.

Should the Lakers decide to hold onto coach Mike D'Antoni next season, Lin, who is averaging 12.4 points and 4.2 assists this season, is tipped as the best option for the Lakers next season if they want to turn things around.

Lin, who has been sharing minutes with Patrick Beverley with the Houston Rockets this season, has proven that he can thrive in D'Antoni's system.

Lin's famous "Linsanity" that made him a big star in the league happened when he playing under D'Antoni with the New York Knicks in 2012.

However, the Lin-to-Lakers scenario looks unlikely at this point because the Lakers are expected to make a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer, and absorbing Lin's $14.9 million salary next season won't help their cause.

If the Lakers fail to land Anthony this summer, the source indicated that they could make a strong push to sign free-agent-to-be Kyle Lowry, who has been on the Lakers' radar for the past several months.

Lowry, who is averaging 16.8 points and 7.8 assists per game this season, could provide backcourt stability to the Lakers next season without spending too much compared to acquiring Lin.

Earlier this year, reports indicated that the Lakers are interested in trading for Lowry, but the Toronto Raptors eventually decided to keep 27-year-old veteran playmaker despite knowing that they could lose him for nothing this summer via free agency.

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