After losing the 2004 NBA Finals with four superstars on the roster, the Lakers decided to think about the future, and the future as owner Jerry Buss see it, is Kobe Bryant. He wants to rebuild the Lakers around Kobe even if it means losing Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'neal.

It might sound ridicule, but think about it: Shaq is 32, he is great but his best years are in the past. Kobe is 26 (yes, 26) and his best years, believe it or not, are in the future.

Below you can read about all the changes made. You can also see a synthesis here.

Others:

Coach Phil Jackson:
His 5 year contract expired and he was asking 10 million a year. Laker owner Jerry Buss told him he would not be asked back as coach for the next season. Buss thought this was the best strategy to re-sign Bryant.

Shaquille O'Neal:
He asked to be traded because he wasn't happy with Jackson's departure and a Kobe oriented team. The Lakers agreed to trade Shaq to the Miami Heat. In exchange they received Odom, Butler, B. Grant and a future 1st-round draft pick. It looks like a bad deal for the Lakers, but it was the only one available. Also Shaq will be in the Eastern Conference, so the Lakers will have to face him (and his fury) only twice a year and eventually in the NBA Finals.
Shaq leaves the Lakers after 8 seasons as the franchise’s 6th leading scorer (13,895), 3rd best from the field (.575), 5th leading rebounder (6,090) and 2nd leading shot blocker (1,278). He was named NBA MVP once (2000), Finals MVP three times (2000, 2001, 2002), averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.49 blocked shots and won 3 NBA Championships (2000, 2001, 2002)

Derek Fisher:
He played in the shadows of Kobe and Shaq for 8 seasons, won 3 championships and defeated San Antonio Spurs with his unforgettable shot with just 0.4 seconds to play. But he needed and deserved more playing time after being replaced by Gary Payton in the starting lineup last season. He agreed to a six-year, $37-million contract with the Golden State Warriors.

Rick Fox:
In the Lakers fixture for 7 years, he was one of the few remaining pieces of the team that won the 3 championships (a starter in two of them). He was included in the Celtics' trade: Fox and Payton for Atkins, Mihm and Jones. But he is fighting with injuries and decided to retire instead of returning to the team where his NBA career began. He had career averages of 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13 NBA seasons (930 games)

Gary Payton:
His first season with the Lakers was really bad, he thinks it was because of Phil Jackson's system so he opted to extend his contract through next year for $5.4 million, but the Lakers then decided to traded him to Boston. He is not happy about it but nobody is crying in L.A.

Others:

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich:
He led the Houston Rockets to the 1994 and 1995 NBA championships and the 2000 U.S. National basketball team to the Olympic gold medal. He likes to adapt his strategy to the players available. Kobe Bryant couldn't ask for something better.
Important Update: Tomjanovich resigned on Feb 3, because of health issues after 43 games (24-19 including 2 wins coached by Frank Hamblen). Hamblen will be the interim coach until the Lakers hire a new coach. The candidates are Phil Jackson (believe it or not), Larry Brown (Piston's coach) and Pat Riley (Heat's President). Frank Hamblen was Tomjanovich and Jackson's assistant.

Lamar Odom:
The ex-Clipper, a 6-10 forward that was the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, returns to town after having with the Heat the best season of his 5-year career. He averaged 17.1 points, a career-high 9.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 80 games for Miami last season. He is projected as the "Scottie Pippen" for Kobe.

Caron Butler:
A 6-7 forward that was the 10th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft and lead all first year players in scoring, steals and minutes that season. His scoring average dropped from 15.4 as a rookie to 9.2 last season but then he averaged 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.15 steals and 39.3 minutes in 13 games in the 2004 Playoffs.

Brian Grant:
The 10-year veteran is a 6-9 forward who is strong and knows how to play at center despite his height. He was the eighth overall selection in the 1994 NBA Draft and averaged 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 30.3 minutes in 76 games last season with Miami. He brings with him his .491 career field goal percentage and career averages of 11.4 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Vlade Divac:
The 36 year old center signed a two-year 10.3 million contract and returns to the Lakers after spending 2 seasons with the Hornets and 6 with the Kings. He is a cleaver passer and a natural leader that won't compete with Bryant.
Vlade spent his first seven NBA seasons in Los Angeles after being selected by the Lakers with the 26th pick in the 1989 draft with the clear mission to replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Now he has to fill the incredible big hole left by Shaq.
The highlight of his Laker career is that he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the rights to a 17-year-old high school kid from Philadelphia named Kobe Bryant.

Others:
In return for Payton and Fox, the Lakers received 3 players from the Celtics:

Luke Walton and Brian Cook won't be rookies anymore. The Lakers drafted Slovenian point guard Sasha Vujacic and Providence power forward Marcus Douthit with the 27th and 56th picks in the 2004 draft.
The 20-year-old Vujacic played for Snaidero Udine in the Italian League for the past 3 seasons. He has good shooting and passing skills. Douthit played 4 seasons at Providence, averaging 7.8 pts, 5.9 reb., 2.2 ast as a senior. He was not signed by the Lakers.