I like Tobias Harris and think he's going to be a starter in this league. But a few things. 1. With all of them being RFA's, you go after Leonard, Butler, and Middleton before Harris. 2. Harris to NY has been talked about all season. He trains with Melo in the offseasons in NY and they're supposed to be close. We're better off chasing more realistic options imo.
My FA plan as of now is wildly improbable. Assuming we luck into the top 3 or atleast keep our top 5 pick, send the pick and Jordan Hill to Sac. for Cousins. Find a team that needs a veteran wing(Chicago maybe) and dump Young and Ryan Kelly for non-guaranteed contracts to create extra space. Sign Middleton with the remaining space. Sign Mo Williams with the Room Exception to help ease Clarkson into the starting role. Mo-Kobe-Middleton-Randle-Cousins with Clarkson leading the bench.
Is there any reason to think Sac wants to part with Boogie? I know a top 5 pick is mighty enticing, but they've got him on the books for another 3 years. Why not wait till then when some other team will offer them something just as good?
This is interesting and he's one of the few guys this offseason that I would gladly hand out a max deal for.... Clarkson (.9) / CJ Watson (2) / Price (Vet min) Kobe (25) / Ellington (BAE) /Brown (.9) Winslow (3.4) / Young (5.2) / RHJ (.9) Randle (3.1) / Black (.9) / Kelly (1.7) LMA (18.9) / Davis (4) / Johnson or Upshaw (.9) Total - 67.8 million or Clarkson (.9) / Mo (4) / Price (Vet min) Kobe (25) / Ellington (BAE) / Brown (.9) Winslow (3.4) / Young (5.2) / RHJ (.9) Randle (3.1) / Black (.9) / Kelly (1.7) LMA (18.9) / Ajinca (2) / Johnson or Upshaw (.9) Total - 67.8 million Two max slots coming next season via Kobe's departure and cap space. Yes please.
Can LMA play the 5? I thought they (Portland) went and out and acquired Lopes because Aldridge didn't like playing the 5 full-time. I could be mistaken, though. If Memphis sweeps them ,though, it will be interesting to see what he does; plus Matthews suffered a very serious injury, Batum fell off a cliff for most of the year, so who knows? What I do know is in the interim while Randle is developing, Aldridge is a guy that could step in right away and help this team. When his game starts declining, Randle would be in the position to take over the starting job.
I heard Ramona and Ireland hinting at Aldridge's availability. I think it's pressure from his agent to find a bigger market. They brought an excellent point: Aldridge is maybe Portland's best player, but all the advertising goes to Lillard. Portland has made it clear they're building around Lillard and that Aldridge is a supporting member of the team. I think his agent is going to push him to find a place where he's either the face of the team OR he's in a big enough market to get some more business opportunities (commercials, investments, etc.). Obviously LA has to be the kind of place his agent would love for him to go, but LaMarcus is turning 30 this year. Does he feel like he's got enough time to go get a ring? Does he settle for the paycheck now since it's likely to be his last big one? Also he's been in the NBA for 9 years already meaning his max starts at 30% of the cap. If we use the estimate of 67.8 million, his starting salary is 20.34 million dollars. His max contract with us would be 4/87.04 million or somewhere in that area. Assuming we keep Kobe, Randle, Top 5, Black, Clarkson, Young, Brown, Kelly, and the #27 pick we're looking at 23.25 million available to spend. Add in Aldridge and that leaves us with 3.41 million to spend. Throw that at Mo Williams and hope he bites. Fill in the rest with minimum deals. It's not a perfect team and defensively they'll still be a wreck, but that's the kind of big name the Lakers want this summer for sure.
He's not a full time 5, but unlike Love, he can play there for a majority of his minutes. There aren't many centers in the league that would give him trouble. If you can get LMA, you worry about that after you get him. Can he play there for 1 season, until more cap space opens up? I think so. According to Basketball Insiders, it's 18.9 for LMA...
With all the talks about Aldridge in Portland, I feel the same about Marc Gasol. For me this year is the best the Grizzlies can get with theire squad. I think that if Marc has a competitve nature within him to win a chamiponship like his brother, Memphis is not the place for him. He is 30 and the next few years are crucial to his legacy. So if they lose to Golden State in the Semi Finals he should start talking with the Lakers. Randle and Gasol is PERFECT. both are good passers, Gasol can help cover him in defence. and it will be cool to see Kobe's connection with them.
That's weird. I wonder where Eric is getting those numbers from... He's using 67.4 as the estimation. Max salaries are 25%, 30%, and 35% of the cap based on how long you've been in the league (<6, 7-9, and 10+ respectively). If the number is 67.4 million as the cap, then the max salaries should be 16.85, 20.22, and 23.59 million, right?
I'd love if they actually gave the equations they're coming up with. That starting salary is 28% of the cap so it's not a max deal for even a 9 year veteran let alone a veteran with 10 or more years... Where's Coon when you need him?
Texas, huh? He went to college in Texas. No state taxes in Texas. Going to be interesting to say the least...
If give LA and Marc a call this summer, you never know what can happen and we might end up with one of them. They will get the max and that will leave us with very little to spend to fill out the roster but it will be worth it next summer when we have more money. I wouldn't waste all my time trying to get them though, don't want a repeat of last year of sitting on Melo waiting for a reply while all the other good players are getting picked up.
If Aldridge leaves, I don't see it being to the Lakers. Besides, I'm not sure him or Marc are a smart play for us. If we sign one of them, it'd be just them. We can only sign them to 4-year deals. At the end of those deals they'd both be 34. So that means we essentially have a 4 year window. I think it'd take at least 2 years before Clarkson/Randle/rookie would be ready to be championship level contributors. So signing Aldridge is really for a two year window. Don't get me wrong. If we signed either I will no be upset at all, but with the young talent we are accumulating, they aren't perfect fits as it pertains to everyone's championship window's lining up.
Got it thanks. Well cool then, that's better news for us regarding incoming max deals. Every cent we save is another asset towards a deeper team. We've got a lot of holes to fill.
Yes and no. We're trying to be competitive asap AND rebuild with young pieces which is kind of an oxymoron. How many really young teams ever get over the top? OKC probably came closest back in 2012 or whatever year they played Miami in the Finals. If we're going to compete at the highest level for a championship, we're going to need some veteran presence and leadership. Kobe is all but certain to retire after next season. We need another leader with experience on the floor. I'm not saying Aldridge is 100% that guy, but he could be. Marc is probably 100% that guy, but I sincerely doubt he leaves Memphis and if he does i doubt it's for LA. When we're building our team, I like that we're going to have at least three REALLY talented youngsters, but that inherently means we're unlikely to be competing for a ring until those guys have been around for a few years. If we surround them with pieces who will compete right now, then we're more likely to reach that goal sooner. If we grab an Aldridge or a Gasol this summer, then we're looking at a squad that's more competitive today AND is set up for the future.
