Column: The Lakers have the bucks, but they’re more like the Bucks

The hope and anticipation that was inspired by the start of the free-agency period has already vanished, the last 24 hours serving as a sobering reality check for Lakers fans.

The idea the Lakers could transform themselves into contenders overnight?

Sorry, no.

The theory their status as a destination franchise for star players could be restored by Kobe Bryant’s retirement?

No again.

The possibility a top free agent might overlook an inexperienced roster for the chance to play in Los Angeles?

Picture a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag.

The Lakers are nothing more than another rebuilding team at this point, their history and championships not sparing them the indignities that are subjected upon downtrodden franchises.

Their delusional fan base won’t want to hear this, but the Lakers belong in the class of teams that includes the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Look at their four-year, $64-million agreement with center Timofey Mozgov.

If the value of the pending contract is shocking, it shouldn’t be.

This is what bad teams do. They pay bad-team taxes.

With Kevin Durant refusing to even hear their sales pitch, the Lakers knew they would have trouble convincing a top player to sign with them.

They ran the risk of coming up empty if they tried to court one of the top centers on the market — say, Al Horford or Hassan Whiteside. (Whiteside announced Friday he will return to the Miami Heat.)

The Lakers didn’t bother to reach out to Horford and instead targeted a far more attainable player in Mozgov, convincing him to not consider any other options by overpaying him. And, yes, they overpaid, evidenced by how Al Jefferson agreed the next day to a three-year, $30-million deal with the Indiana Pacers.

This is not what flagship franchises do.

Flagship franchises are able to convince players to make financial compromises to play for them, like how the Lakers once got Lamar Odom to pass on more lucrative deals on the free-agent market to re-sign with them.

Had the Golden State Warriors been interested in Mozgov, they wouldn’t have offered him anything close to $64 million.

While Mozgov represents an upgrade from Roy Hibbert, he’s an uninspiring addition. Mozgov, who turns 30 this month, is only a year removed from a knee operation that might have cost him his starting position on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He played 25 total minutes in the NBA finals and has never averaged 26 minutes a game over an entire regular season.

Meanwhile, the top free agents are starting to head elsewhere. DeMar DeRozan will return to the Toronto Raptors, Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets.

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But if Mozgov’s deal illustrates the problem, Jordan Clarkson’s new deal represents how the Lakers could one day emerge from this mess.

Clarkson was drafted and developed by the Lakers. They were able to retain him at $50 million over four years, a reasonable deal in a market that landed Jeremy Lin a three-year, $36-million contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

This will be the blueprint the Lakers will have to follow, drafting smart and building the kind of rapport with their young players that will make them open to staying in Los Angeles when they’re eligible to sign elsewhere. Ideally, this is what the team would also like to do with Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle.

If these players grow and remain together, perhaps they could one day create the kind of environment that coould attract an elite free agent. Remember, it was a roster that included Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins that helped convince LeBron James to return to the Cavaliers.

This approach will take time, which means the Lakers will have to endure more of what they endured last season.

Short of them making a significant trade this summer, they will be looking ahead to a season in which 30 wins would have to be considered progress.

It’s not what their fans want, but it’s their reality.

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Twitter: @dylanohernandez

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