Many teams have moved ahead doing interviews and some making hires but the Los Angeles Lakers have dragged their feet in finding a head coach and they reportedly have a specific reason why.  This upcoming free agency has some prime players in the mix and the Lakers want parts.

According to Sam Amick at the USA Today.

The slow pace of the Lakers’ coaching search that began April 30 when Mike D’Antoni resigned has been timed deliberately with the upcoming free agency period in the NBA, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Specifically, the idea that the Lakers could beat the odds and land the likes of the Heat’s LeBron James, the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony or any of the other superstars who may be free agents on July 1 has led the Lakers to plod through their process so as to not limit their potential options. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the search.

Lebron James is in his fourth straight NBA Finals appearance with the Miami Heat and has the possibility of completing a three-peat.  The chances of him leaving are slim to none.  Still teams are holding out hope for that miniscule chance that he’s willing to leave and start somewhere fresh.  If the Spurs win there’s a chance the ‘Big 3′ will split or they can all decide to opt-in if they feel their dynamic works, which it appears to.

As for Carmelo Anthony his decision isn’t as certain as James.  Anthony has made it clear that he wants to win now and it will take the Knicks at least a year to get a better roster.  They don’t have any draft picks this year and Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani won’t come off the books until 2015.  The Knicks leverage is that they can offer Anthony the most money and they have Phil Jackson running things.

The big question though is which star is willing to play alongside Kobe Bryant.  Kevin Love is also in play.  It’s no secret that Love wants out of Minnesota and LA is among his top choices but the Timberwolves may try to trade him rather than letting him walk and leave them empty-handed.

Once one domino falls the rest will follow, so we’ll have to wait and see.

– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)