If the Lakers whiff on Kawhi, there are still deals to be made. As we have seen in all three capped leagues--NFL, NBA, NHL--cap space itself can be very much an asset. The Lakers don't have much to offer in trade--they have only three roster players and gutted their draft picks by trading two and tying up more as protection backup/pick swap possibilities--but they have cap space so they can absorb deals and give back only cash or second rounders. They can get guys on short terms that way and they probably won't be much worse quality than the Seth Currys of the world, the type of player that we're sitting here lamenting that they missed out on.