LAKERS LAKERS Thread

First thing, the idea of Bron coming to the dumpster fire that is the lakers is crazy. Yeah, the dumpster fire is hopefully on its way out, but we still got it. So IMO Bron coming out west means he is headed to the Clippers (if they keep CP3). Second, I want Ball on the Lakers. LaVar is an idiot but I think Magic can put him in his place if he gets out of control. I really like the idea of seeing Ball and Russell in the back court. I think if Russel is not worried about being the leader of the team and dishing dimes all over the place I think he can excel at filling the bucket up. That said, if MGT is trying to lure Bron here they would need to be able to commit to sign both Paul George and Bron, which they would need to clear cap space. SO, to do that shopping the #2 pick and attaching Mozgov/Deng to it would accomplish that task of freeing up salary. I wonder if we could offer the Kings our #2/#28/Deng for their #5/#10 (Pleinka said the price tag would be high....i might even throw in Nance to get the deal done). The general consensus is that the draft will go Fultz/Ball/Jackson/Tatum/Fox. If the Kings are indeed interested in one of the top point guards in the draft that gives them a shot at Ball or Jackson and lets the Lakers take Fox while they clear cash for signing two max FA at the end of next year.......WOW, can't wait till next Thrus.

 

You and I are thinking the same.......but i think your scenario is a bit much. I think keeping Randall and Russell are necessary to attracting any free agents.

 

LOL.....not a chance. More realistic is us getting Okafor for Russel.

 

Mota??

 

If we could get rid of Mozgov, then Okafor/Zubac would be a solid young front. Then you would have Ball and Ingram in the back court with Paul George at the 3.

 

If we kept Russel and paired him with Ball, we would have Ole defense as well.

 

There is no way the Lakers are trading away the #2 pick. That's not to say the Lakers completely love Ball, it's just that the players in the top 5 are.....well, they are good, but none are Shaq/Kareem type game changers.

To trade down doesn't make sense to me in this draft.

And no one is going to overpay for a trade involving any of our young talent because the other teams all know how desperate the franchise has become. For them, they'll just wait for a better offer.

Also trading picks for "sorta talents" is how we got into this predicament....hoping the bouncing balls fall into place

 

https://www.silverscreenandroll.com...akers-markelle-fultz-danny-ainge-bad-drafting
NBA Draft Rumors: Boston Celtics might take Josh Jackson No. 1, could leave Lakers with Markelle Fultz

Josh Jackson, who was No. 1 on Big Board 1.0, has emerged as an intriguing option for the Celtics and team president Danny Ainge (even though he canceled a workout with Boston this week, according to ESPN's Jeff Goodman and Marc Spears).

"I've picked Danny's brain for years," one GM said. "Jackson is an Ainge player all the way. Tough, athletic, long, versatile, elite motor. If he's keeping the pick, Jackson just to me, far and away, is the most Celtics-type player for them to draft. From all my conversations with them, I'm convinced they'll take Jackson No. 1."






Same thing I was thinking earlier this week..if Ainge wanted Jimmy Butler and Paul George, why not just take Jackson?
And they already have a core of smaller guards anyway

 

Dumpster fire is what you call a team like the Hornets or Pistons, etc..teams that don't have much going for them in any facet and/or have no direction.
LAL is still the most lucrative franchise in the league and the league's most lucrative athlete is LeBron.
LeBron to LAL is a sure power move on a business level..maybe you missed the earlier report, but Jeanie Buss has met with LeBron's business manager Maverick Carter 3 times over the last few months, so LeBron's interest in partnering with the league's most lucrative franchise seems to be real, brodie.
When Woj says it, you can pretty much take it as gospel.
2.) LAL is where teams that aren't contenders want to be.
In the NBA, the worst place to be is where the Clippers currently are, where the Jazz are, etc..where middling teams are because they don't win titles and they also don't pick at the top of the draft, so they miss opportunities to land transcendent talents that would perhaps help them win big in the future.
What Durant did in joining the Warriors was an upgrade on LeBron's Miami/Big 3 blueprint..for LeBron, the way to upgrade on what Durant did would be to find a younger/talented core that could also have the cap space to bring in another young difference maker for him to partner with.
And that's actually LAL's outlook..why Magic has said he's all in for the 2018 free agent class.
Everyone's mentioned Paul George as a potential partner for LeBron, you did there as well, but the real earthquaker/needle mover would be for Boogie Cousins ( the best big man in basketball) to join LeBron along with LAL's core of young lottery talent.
If Magic is able to shed Deng and Mozgov, the opportunity to get maybe the best player in the league and the best big man in the league will be there and both pose enough of a mismatch/dynamic to truly worry the Warriors.
So let's say they trade Russell for the #3 pick and draft both Jackson and Lonzo next Thursday..that team could be LeBron/Cousins/Ingram/Jackson/Lonzo/Randle/Zubac/Nance/Clarkson..one hell of a unit with elite superstar talent at the front and young blossoming talents behind them.
They'd essentially be Shaq and Kobe, but with young budding talents surrounding them instead of old heads.

 

Well i think it is a bit premature to declare the lakers the new FA destination. True there is a young core. Yes Magic is on staff. Yes they were exciting to watch last year....sometimes. However a decent amount of time the team as a whole looked lost, and guys like Russell and Randall didn't make very big strides in getting better. Bron may want to come out west but realistically the Clippers are a better option....here is the caveat....IF they keep CP3. But anything is possible, especially with the influence Magic has. Also I believe the Pelicans will figure out the Davis/Boogie combo and then back the truck up. Plus I think Zubac can be good....I would love to see him as the starter next year. Either way to get Bron they are going to need to free up cash and the only way to do that is get rid of deng/mozgov.....and to do that they need to attach an amazing asset. Ingram is not going anywhere and no one else on the team qualifies as amazing so the #2 pick is the only way.

 

West to the Clippers.

http://sfo.247sports.com/Bolt/Repor...ng-the-Warriors-to-join-the-Clippers-53183946