It depends what else is involved in the deal. I could roll the dice. I'd wonder about the market on Ibaka. Is a deal starting at $20m enough to keep him?
I like Ibaka but the asking price is high and not a fan of his impending free agency (and the contract it'd take to keep him). Personally, I'm actually fine with the Lakers' frontcourt as is for the time being. Randle. Nance. Zubac. Black. Even Mozgov. We have all 5 signed into next season. Randle is 22, Nance is 24, Zubac is 19. Black is 25. If the price is right, I have no issue making a move to upgrade but I'm not actively seeking it.
I'd be happy if we had a stretch 4 to add to the mix. Neither Randle, Deng, Ingram, Nance, or Black can shoot consistently from outside the paint.
He had a really nice offensive game, but that inbounds pass violation pissed me off. It's a symbol of his lackadaisical attitude out there half the time, like he's zoned out in his own little world. That's something that should never happen.
yeah, even a darrell arthur or joffrey lauvergne type would do the trick. i think an upgrade in the frontcourt is imperative. i'm much more comfortable with the perimeter players (russell, lou, clarkson, ingram, even young). if nance/randle/black could be moved for a bona fide two-way starting pf, i'm listening. not sure if anyone who fits the bill is available. short of that, i'd kick the tires on guys like thad young. what would indy want in return? i think he'd be a great fit with what luke wants to do here. i mean, ideally, nance develops a) better joints and b) a reliable standing three point shot. but that seems unlikely.
Yeah, but he made some real nice moves to the hoop with his right hand, so I was giving him some credit for that. I'm not happy with him and a few others of our young guys at the moment though, I've got that I'm done with this losing, I'd trade everyone on this team not named Ingram for a star.
I'm not against making changes to the frontcourt and I agree upgrades could/should be had. I'm just saying I am fine with the frontcourt as is..... for the time being. In other words, the rest of the season. Mind you, I'm also in favor of "tanking" to keep the pick - so trading for a proven veteran is against my own interest. I'd like to give the young players time to show what they have the rest of this season and then make whatever necessary moves in the offseason.
Ingram, D'Angelo, Zubac and Nance are untouchable to me.... Everyone else we can trade for a star. However if we do keep our pick which is either Lonzo, Fultz. Then Dlo becomes a great trade piece, I'd offer Indiana dlo, JC, and randle for Paul George only if we keep our pick. Ball or Fultz Ingram Paul George Nance Zubac That's a great starting 5 that can play defense as well
I wouldn't say that starting five is great, but I'd still make that move. Actually I'd probably try to include Mozgov or Deng back to them and take back Ellis or Jefferson. Keep in mind after that move, we'd have lots of cap space too. If we did that, we'd have roughly 70 million in guaranteed money and we'd have 43 million to spend or so. If we let Tarik expire and waive his bird rights, we'd have 48 million or so. Ball or Fultz/ Ellis Ingram/ Williams George/ Nance Jr./ Black/ Zubac They'd be interesting. I'd be concerned with shooting the ball, but still they'd be interesting. The key would be finding a FA to take our money to keep George interested in staying around. You could make a run at Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Serge Ibaka, George Hill, and Jeff Teague.
I'd offer Russell + Randle and then find a 3rd team that'll take on Lou Williams and send Indiana either another young talent or a 1st round pick. Starting lineup: Ball, Ingram, George, Nance, Zubac Off the bench: Huertas, Clarkson, Deng, Black, Moz Then fill it up from there
said it in another thread..I still wouldn't trade Russell & Randle for George..wouldn't even consider it. I think George is great..not elite, put them over the top great. I'm keeping Russell & Randle
You are looking at this as George isn't better than Russell + Randle. I think the pertinent question is: "Do you think George is better than Russell or Randle ever will be"? The Lakers' problem isn't quantity. As evidenced by a 10 man rotation. It's quality. The Lakers need that high-end talent because ultimately that's what wins titles. Even Magic acknowledged that. Publicly. Now, as you noted, you don't think George is great but not elite. So, to my earlier point, question to ask is do you think Russell and/or Randle will ever reach level. If the answer is no, this is the type of deal you really should consider. Especially since the deal still keeps Ingram, who IMO has the highest ceiling of the youth and is the most likely to be elite one day.
I think Russell is going to be a stud. He's still 20 years old. While I see him as a 20-5-5 type guy in a few year..I don't have him better than George But wouldn't package him along with Randle to get George. I'd reject the offer. I think Russell/Randle > George. I also think Russell's ceiling is as high or higher than Ingram's. George takes a back seat to much for me. He usually always puts in that stat line..but he's not on that elite group guy. I like Butler over George too. Not a knock on George...just I like the young trio..since they are 22, 20 & 19
I like our young trio too but in my experience following the NBA, far too often fanbases get a little too hyped on "young talent" only to get disappointed when it does not pan out as well as they hoped. Players like George - All-Stars in their prime - don't hit the trade market that often. If/when you have a shot, you should take it IF the price is fair. George averages 22.5ppg and takes 17.5 shots a game and no one else on the Pacers averages 16 or 12 respectively. He's 2nd in rpg, 2nd in apg, 2nd in spg and 1st in threes. He's far and away the best player on a 29-23 team. Just like he was last year on a 45-37 team when he averaged 23.1ppg and no one else averaged 14. He is carrying that team offensively, on top of being solid defensively. I'd give up Russell/Randle for George because I don't want to wait for Russell to maybe become "20-5-5 in a few years" and I'm slowly souring on Randle and frankly preferring Nance Jr. I'll take that guy who is putting up 22-6-3 and last year put up 23-7-4 right away. Then add in him with Ingram, Nance, Zubac, Deng, Mozgov and the top 3 pick (since this discussion involves that particular scenario). The team would still be solid on young talent but now have that stud at the top to get them moving forward. In the end, to me it's a moot point. I said in another thread I don't see Indiana trading George unless they get 2 of Ingram, Russell and that Top 3 pick. With Thaddeus Young, I don't think they'd value Randle that much. At that price, I'll personally pass.
