Trade Down To Obtain Player And Retain A To Top Pick?

If you could trade down for a starter, a potential all-star and still have a Top 10 pick - would you do it?

Demarcus Cousins plus Sacto Pick for No. 2, No. 27 and filler?

What about if it were a deal for Lawson and Denver Pick?

I'm not a fan of getting fancy but wonder what types of offers the Lakers are getting as I recall last year for the No. 7, Philly was trying to unload Kidd-Gilcrest, Thad Young, etc. We know that Lawson and Cousins are on the block so I am all but certain they are being dangled.

Personally, I love having three picks in this draft and think its a lot deeper than the experts are talking about. I guess my only thought is that we know (Wesley Johnson, Jordan Hill, Kendall Marshall, Michael Beasley, Michael Olawakandi, Sam Bowie, Greg Oden and the list goes on) that high draft pick (even top 10) does not guarantee a Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, Westbrook, Durant - its about the talent and for everyone who loves Okafor, or who can make the case for Russell, or Townes, or Mudiay - has to admit that these guys don't come with a 'guarantee' - and thus the argument for a rebuilding team with cap space to consider grabbing a 'sure thing' (proven player, warts and all) where they might also still be able to grab a player who falls (Julius Randle, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Tony Parker, etc) with a later pick.

Remember - we are playing with 'house money' now - as we risked losing the pick all together.

I'm for trusting youth and not picking up someone else's failures or attitude problems - what do you say?

 

Yeah, Cousins and their pick. I want Hezonja for it.

 

Cousins is the only star on the block I'd entertain. I want no part of the children on the Nuggets. Those grown a** men behaved in a manner which they should be ashamed (phones during film sessions, partying too much, having to have practices pushed to later in the day, quitting on Shaw). I don't want any of that stink around our impressionable youth.

The thing with Cousins is he is what he is. He's not going to change. He grew up a lot this season, but he's still a basket case. That's risky. What if he doesn't get along with a tough coach like Scott. What if he doesn't want to hear what Kobe has to say. With the spotlight of LA on him, I'm not sure he could hack it. We can't afford an implosion or a troubled locker room. I'd rather have a top talent prospect that is eager to listen, who doesn't have character concerns, who you can mold into whatever you want him to be. Our development game has been shockingly stellar as of late. Trust in that.

Unless we can take serious advantage of some team in a trade, I keep the pick and don't look back.

 

Fun fact: We traded our No. 2 draft pick in 1975 for the greatest center to ever play the game.

 

No guarantees, but leaving career threatening injuries out of it (can happen to ANYONE) ...... check below what is said in this link (must read on Okafor for anyone who hasn't) in just this excerpted bit of copy from this link below, and the part especially that I highlighted. As close to a guarantee as needed. Plus what your eyes tell you. We haven't seen his best yet on D I am sure. They wanted him kept in the games and had him playing very conservatively, though granted he's not quick as other defenders.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article14512424.html

High school coach saw it coming
The ACC has changed dramatically even since the most recent No. 1 big men played. Brand was dominant at Duke for two seasons before going No. 1 overall in 1999, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski first compared the two after Duke’s third game this season, an 81-71 win over Michigan State. Okafor scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

“He is probably more skilled than Elton was. Elton was probably more aggressive,” Capel said. “Elton has really good touch, because he was so big and so physical, as far as wide. He had long arms, like Jah. Elton had big hands, too.”

Okafor’s hands are noticeably large – “When he shook my hand the first time, I was like, ‘What in the hell is that?’ It was like a hand extender,” Slaughter said. They measure 10.25 inches from palm to middle finger, and are nearly a foot wide, 11.25 inches from thumb to pinky finger.

With hands that big, palming a basketball is easy. Okafor plucks it out of the air like a Skittle, and holding it with one hand allows him to create more space for himself when facing a double-team, as he has often seen this year.

“A typical big guy, you have your man banging you and trying to push you out by the 3-point line, and another player coming at you,” said Duke assistant Nate James. “(Okafor), somehow, is able to split it and either find someone or make a finger roll or a dunk or something. I have yet to see a big guy do that.

“I have yet to really see a big man with his feel for the game, his touch. His ability to combine strength with finesse. I have yet to see that in anyone, particularly a freshman. I’ve heard Coach (Krzyzewski) say that Jah is probably the most talented player he has ever coached, at this point. He’s very unique.

 

After Mitch see's these guys up close and personal in the upcoming workouts that's when a trade like the one for Cousins will be discussed or flushed. Mitch knows Cousins, his value and flaws,and big contract. If he sees Towns/ Okafur as even close in talent no way he trades for Cousins. Young, talented, high BB IQ, bigs on rookie deals with a positive attitude don't grow on trees.

 

27 is a pick with some value. Getting excited about draft day. Feeling is that Lakers are going to be scary good on paper after draft.

 

Me too ^^^

 

Let's try not to get cute with things, let's get Okafor/Towns and move on. Like TIME said, if Kobe was younger I'd highly consider trading the pick for Cousins to try and contend next season.