Might as well add Melo too Smh JR better never see the floor in the 4th quarter unless it's a blow out
Getting Ron Adams maybe one of the more important signings this off season. Like Tex Winters and Phil, Ron maybe the the key to transforming the Lakers team defense. Something I don’t think they have had in awhile.....a team oriented defense that actually has a strategy behind it.
Ron might actually be the guy everyone including LeBron and the rest of the coaching staff respects. The Lakers need a sage figure to replace the figure Magic was trying to cut. Ron fits that bill. Ron the sage/adam, Vogel the shepherd/abel, Kidd the farmer/cain. Should be a good set up... until the farmer gets a little power hungry.
They'll definitely need Adams if they bring D'angelo back. Hopefully, he's been humbled..his offseason certainly didn't begin that way and now the Nets are moving on from him as well. Sounds like it'd have to be at the right price for LAL, which is the main concern for me. They can't give D'angelo a contract that'll put them at too much of a disadvantage if/when it comes time to trade him again. His max starts @ $27M and that's just too much..somewhere between $16-$20M is better, that way there's enough space to cover the bet with a Beverley signing, but also still enough salary to be of significance in salary matching if a star like Beal ends up being available during the season. They'd need a defensive specialist at the guard spot next to D'angelo, one that takes the tough matchups most nights, similar to the Klay/Steph setup. AD is reportedly recruiting free agents and stands to reason that D'angelo and Pat Beverley are probably among the handful of guys that he's reaching out to given that he just started following D'angelo on IG, and that AD and Beverley are Chicago buddies. AD recruiting also likely means he could be looking to waive his trade bonus in order to open some cap room. Would take some getting used to for me if it were to happen..not the biggest fan of D'angelo or Beverley, but they can help the team. Doubt that the " lights out shooter " that they're reportedly targeting is Redick, he's firmly planted in Philly at this point. I'd probably bet that it's Seth Curry. Cap guru Bobby Marks said Curry should be looking at $5M per, so basically the mid-level room exception. It does feel like D'angelo would be a good - on the court - fit from an offensive standpoint, especially if he cleans up the volume scoring some. He needs other dynamic playmakers around him, but he also plays at a pace that LeBron and other vets should be able to keep up with. Don't know if Kidd is the right mentor - off the court - but obviously there's now Lionel Hollins and he doesn't take much shit, potentially Ron Adams as well as accomplished vets in their prime, so they won't need for D'angelo to be a leader with this group. A bunch of coaches and vet players that aren't going to accept D'angelo's BS seems like a solid base to work from if they're going to gamble on him. If this happens, to balance it out, the other 3 guys on the floor should be better than capable defenders. Kuz is going to have to take it up another notch defensively and maybe he'll come off the bench or sit some when it really matters in games. 3yrs/$44M for Beverley and 4yrs/$86M for D'angelo may get it done.
@wojespn The Lakers are trading Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis deal with New Orleans, league sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me. Deal clears contracts and creates more cap space for free agency. @wojespn The Lakers will start free agency with $32M in salary cap space. The Lakers have the ability to sign a max player now. Boom.
Woj is such an ass. After all that talk about Lakers screwed up yadda yadda yadda....now the real deal might be going down. Things are about to happen in a big way.
To be fair to Woj the front office drama made a lot of people question what the fuck are they doing!! They should have waited all is lost all is lost!!! Good on the FO that they took some of the Dodgers FO tact and kept very quiet about the master plan. July should be amazing.
Woj sold his soul when he went to ESPN. Now he just does whatever to build drama for the league. Said it before, will say it again..Woj is basically Don King now
Like what time is the parade Hopefully that's the last time somebody compares this FO to the Dodgers' FO. This Laker FO actually has pressure to win championships
A parade after no playoffs in six years and one of worst records in the game the past two? I like your optimism.
Optimism is warranted when you root for a team that's been successful in capturing titles in bunches. Typically, LAL does the parade after championships..playoffs sort of come with that. Of course, a Dodger fan, you get the playoffs and no championships. If they add Kawhi to LeBron and AD, go ahead and bet against them. Be my guest. Because I don't think any of those guys gives a rat's ass about Luke Walton, Byron Scott, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Robert Sacre, Lou Williams and the rest of the crew that couldn't live up to the championship standard over the last 6 years
Sounds like LAL will have the full mid level exception to work with. Having the trade agreement in place with the Wiz now will allow them to act as an over the cap team at the outset of FA. This is big. The room mid level exception is worth about $4.7M. The full mid level exception is worth a little more than $9M and can be split and used to bring in multiple players, so LAL may not have to fully rely on vet minimum contracts if they do max out a 3rd guy. They can put together at least a 6 or 7 man unit before being left with the vet min. Not sure what the best avenue would be after maxing out Kawhi. Can they nab a Darren Collison for about half of the full MLE, which would be around the same as the room MLE, about $4.7M? Maybe. Rancho guy may want to be a part of something special. The other half of the full MLE would probably go to another shooter type..maybe a Seth Curry. Grab a couple guards that can shoot to go along with Caruso and his shooting. Vet minimum..probably a Markieff Morris. Not as good as his brother, but close enough and he can help AD at the 5. Just a couple rotational guys away at that point..figure it out between Avery Bradley, Nerlens Noel, Korver and JR Smith, maybe bring in all 4 on vet min deals. Darius Miller is probably another option, played with AD @ Kentucky and in N.O. As well, shooter. Sounds like KCP could be a vet min option as well.
