G.M. Mitch Kupchak: Changes coming for Lakers

Lakers G.M. Mitch Kupchak says to expect changes to his team's roster. (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

In his annual end-of-the-season press conference, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told the media that he will be shaking up the roster for next season following the team's consecutive second-round playoff ousters.

"There’ll be some change," Kupchak said, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. "We’ve got a group of players that are free agents. ... There will be quite a bit of activity July 1, looking at who we can bring back and dealing with the marketplace."

Asked specifically about trades, Kupchak said: “Why not? Sure. We went through it last year. Other than at the trade deadline, we didn’t do anything last year. But when you lose before you think you should have lost, you have to open up all opportunities.”

Kupchak was vague about the future of a frequently mentioned trade candidate, power forward Pau Gasol. "I have not met with ownership," Kupchak said. "I don’t know what direction the team is going to go, what the parameters will be going forward, so there wasn’t really anything additional to share with Pau or share with you people about what may take place between now and the draft or now and July 1 or post-July 1."

Kupchak added: "I don’t suspect that he’ll ever be the same based on what took place this year [Gasol's aborted trade to the Rockets]. ... I’m sure there’s a little bit of trust that’s not quite the same."