if we are able to move deng/jc with no contracts back and Randle shows up, I would feel deflated in a sense if we dont bring him back. Yea he getting paid but doesn't feel like we're a royal organization anymore, keep sending our of own.
I think we will wait until the last possible moment to renounce though. If you hold a gun to my head and tell me to bet on what happens with the Lakers next offseason, I think we get PG-13, resign Lopez and resign Randle. Lebron doesn't come here. We hope that in 3 year a veteran Lopez and a veteran George can help our young kids who will now be experienced (Ball, Ingram, Randle) take down an aging (possibly broken up) Warrior team.
My gut tells me we're getting LeBron and George. There's billowing towers of smoke on that front. I think both of them as of today are leaning that way. Obviously things change and maybe someone makes a crazy trade and the landscape changes again or maybe our guys don't live up to the expectations and the two bail, but as of today... I think both are coming. But this is a conversation for another thread.
If the lineup going into the 2018-2019 season is: Lopez James Ingram George Ball That team right there is a serious threat to the Golden State Warriors. You will have 3, 2 way players who are either in their prime or getting there. Then you have a pass first stud in all that who has a huge BB IQ and you have a steady center who can go inside and out. If that team comes together, that team can win a title right away.
If you find a home for Clarkson and Deng, and don't bring back Randle or KCP, then you're looking at about 15 million to spend on one more piece. If I'm Lopez, I take 2/30 million without hesitation and stick around to play with Ball, Ingram, George, and LeBron. If George/LeBron get fancy and take less than the max you may even be able to bring 2/3 out of Randle, KCP, and Lopez.
L2K15: The scenario Ox presented is possible since we traded for Brook and by doing that we have his bird rights. The absolute key in all of this is shedding Deng/Clarkson cause they're due to make 30M combined between the both of them. With Zo, BI, Kuz, Nance, Hart, Zu & TB you're looking at about 20M. The cap is projected to be 102-104M next season and I'm assuming it will be on the higher end, cause the playoffs should last longer (and not be the Cavs and Warriors going undefeated to the finals like this year) since the league overall got stronger to compete with those guys especially in the West. That gives roughly 85M in cap space for us. We don't have a 2018 1st round pick as guaranteed money to worry about and if we break through the cap apron (123-5M) with Lopez's bird rights, then we'll also have the non-tax payer's MLE of about 8.6M to round out the team with since you can divvy that amount up between more than one player. Also, Randle is an RFA, so we have that contract to mess with in a possible S&T or we can simply match an opposing team's offer sheet and if we break through the apron in doing so, then we're hard capped and lose our exceptions. The key is to shed Deng and Clarkson for possible non-guaranteed contracts and/or future picks. Also if we don't see Randle in our future core, then we should move him as well and that gives us roughly 35M in cap space with roughly 20M on the books for the summer of 2018. We'll have more than enough for 2 max players (at about 30M each) and retaining Lopez (25M). I really want to keep KCP too, but that will be tricky since we won't have his bird rights. Everybody will have to take somewhat of a "paycut" but its honestly of the trivial variety. Now when you take into consideration the LA landscape of commercials and off court deals, then you make up for whats lost in state taxes and "paycuts".
Not to single you out, but I don't understand why some of the fan base has this mentality. At the ripe age of 32, coming off 7 straight extended seasons, Bron had his most successful statistical season. Take into consideration that with a strong team and a bunch of young players on it, we really wouldn't need Lebron to play extended minutes in the regular season. Limit his minutes for the real season in April. Also the league is stretching out the calendar of games in order to eliminate resting players, which should only help the older vets prolong their careers. I have no worries about Bron's health and deterioration especially since the Lakers overhauled their medical staff and now has given their players access to state of the art facilities for proper health. Lastly, I understood the hate the for Rondo cause he played a part in denying the Lakers a title. Yet, I still wouldn't mind if we got him to mentor Zo this year. However, I don't understand why fans hate Bron. He's never been a C Bag...never have we met him in the Finals...and never has he denied us a ring, so other then his royal ego, I really don't see any knocks on the guy....especially being a Lakers fan. Dude's been in the east minding his own business and not getting into any trouble off the court. He's a good teammate and demands excellence (true he's a coach killer but so too where Magic and Kobe, both Laker Lifers). I would gladly welcome da king to LA. Sorry for the slight derailment...And now back to my main man, Kuz! Don't mind Randle heading out if this guy bulks up some and emphasizes on the defensive end a bit. A rotation of him, BI Nance and Bron at the 3 & 4....damn!
if Randle shows up, I rather keep him over Lopez, you cant win with a C like him, defensively we will get murdered, yes he blocks shots but his sloth like lateral will make him a liability same way Love gets crapped on in Clev, great reb/3pt shooter but teams know how to expose his weakness and make him unplayable when it counts
That's hilarious!!! Ok I'm in transition the next couple of weeks, but I'll see if I can knock it out
Dallas was the last team to win a title with a legit star center. Bogut in 2014 was legit but he was limited type. You dont need a center anymore in the NBA. You need to score and play D on the perimeter.
Still need a rim protector. Cavs came back from 3-1 two years ago when Bogut got hurt. Klay had to back off Kyrie's 3 and if he closed, Kyrie went around him for an uncontested layup. That was HUGE difference in that series that gets little talk.
that wasn't all bogut, and he was no rim protector, he was good deterent for Thomas who killed it on the glass, something Lopez isn't particulary good at
There are multiple salary cap issues in your post.... 1.) We won't have roughly 85 million in cap space with the young guys you named + Lopez's bird rights. Assuming the young guys you kept and trading Deng/JC for nothing.... Lonzo (7.5) Ingram (5.8) Nance (2.3) Kuzma (1.7) Hart (1.7) Zu (1.5) Bryant (1) +4 cap holds (3.2) Lopez bird right's cap hold - 34 million Total - 58.7 million......assuming 104 million salary cap that would leave us 45.3 million far from two max slots Lopez's cap hold stays on the books unless we renounce it, which brings me to the next point.... 2.) If you want to break through the cap apron to sign Lopez to a longer deal, you have to assume we kept his bird rights cap hold, which we can't if we Lebron/PG. Essentially, if a team retains the right (i.e., Bird rights) to sign a player while above the cap, the league assumes the team will do so, and sets aside an amount of money under the team's cap in anticipation of that signing. This keeps teams from signing other teams' free agents using their cap room, and then turning their attention to their own free agents once their cap room is all used up, using the Bird exception to re-sign their own players. 3.) MLE use - If we are operating under the cap, which we need to to get PG/Lebron we don't have that available to us ROOM MID-LEVEL EXCEPTION -- This exception is available only to teams that drop far enough below the cap to use cap room, and therefore lose their Bi-Annual, Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level and Taxpayer Mid-Level exceptions (see question number 26). If a team is below the cap, then its Disabled Player, Bi-Annual, Mid-Level (either the Taxpayer or Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level, whichever applies to the team) and/or trade exceptions are added to their team salary, and the league treats the team as though they are over the cap1. This is to prevent a loophole, in a manner similar to free agent amounts (see question number 37). A team can't act like it's under the cap and sign free agents using cap room, and then use its Disabled Player, Bi-Annual, Mid-Level and/or trade exceptions 4.) If you want to use Randle as a sign and trade piece or match an offer sheet, you have to account for his cap hold in the above which is 12.4 million. This further decreases our cap space and would give us room for only one star player. The scenario that works is one that therealdeal touched on before which would be a best case scenario..... - Let Randle go elsewhere or trade him - Dump JC and Deng for nothing - Renounce Lopez's bird rights and KCP's - Lonzo + Ingram + Nance + Kuzma + Hart + Bryant + Zu + 5 cap holds = 25.5 million - Assume 104 million salary cap = 78.5 million cap room - Lebron max 37.5, PG max 32.1 = 69.6 million + young guys + 3 cap holds = 93.5 million - Would need to trade another young guy or have Lebron/PG take pay cut to get up to 15 million for Brook, KCP or other FA Lonzo (7.5) Ingram (5.8) / Hart (1.7) PG (32.1) / Kuzma (1.7) Lebron (37.5) / Nance (2.3) Lopez (11.3) / Zu (1.5) / Bryant (1) + 2 cap holds - 1.6 million Total - 104
"LeBron, Dude! Paul, you too! Come on lets really do this. You saw how much KD gave up to keep that team intact .... we'll take care of you later".
