The thin that scares me about love is his injury history already at the age of 26. You do not want to tie up a max contract that is injured on and off all season. I feel like we have too many holes to plug and to use up most of our resources on one guy that fills a hole that's already filled isn't the best idea.
I am for real. I'm not saying I would be pissed if we signed Love. (He's not Rondo.) But if we could get Middleton and Lopez instead? Sign me up. Middleton's win share is one of the best in the league. He plays in a position of DIRE need. He's a lockdown defender...Did I mention he would be stepping into a position that had Wes Johnson playing 40 minutes a game...aka DIRE need? Middleton being classified as a roll player is debatable. I like Love, and if we sign him for the max, I won't be crying. It will certainly be a step in the right direction. But we have more pressing needs. We happen to have the #1 recruit out of high school who led his team to the NCAA championship game his freshman year at the pf spot.
Signing Love will instantly bring us some of the much needed credibility we lost when Dwight left. It would remind other future FAs that this is in fact the best place to come and play ball. And I have to believe that those same future FAs (2016 and beyond) would be much more inclined to come here and play with Love versus Middleton (about whom I was unfamiliar before people here started writing about him so much). TBH, I'm more excited about Randle and our (fingers crossed) top 5 pick, but signing Love would be a major step in the right direction.
LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol and (probably) Kevin Love will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Each is a coveted frontcourt player in his prime. All three will have multiple max offers on the table. As similar as their situations are, there is one key area in which they differ -- and, in which the calculus that will guide their free-agent decisions is divergent because of one variable. Age. Let me explain. Aldridge and Gasol have contracts that expire June 30; Love has a player option that is in his best interest to exercise. All three stand to make a lot more money if they decide to do a two-year deal with a player option in 2016, when the salary cap is expected to spike from $67 million in 2015-16 to $89 million -- and then, to $108 million the following season. If Love, out 4-6 months following surgery on an acute left shoulder dislocation, opts in for next season, he makes $16.7 million. If he opts out, the first-year salary on his new deal is projected to be in the $19 million range. One thing NBA players almost never do -- nor should they -- is leave money on the table. But Love, who is 26, has the luxury of contemplating a shorter deal -- LeBron James-style -- to give himself a chance to cash in on the massive increase in the cap (and thus salaries) in 2016 or '17. So while much of the discussion is about how his shoulder injury will affect the free-agent market for him, the reality is, that is not the variable that matters. His age and the ability to easily score another max deal under more favorable economic conditions are far more important. Other than Dwight Howard, who left the Lakers for the Rockets in 2013, free-agent historically have been reluctant to accept a shorter deal and smaller annual increases that come with leaving your current team as an unrestricted free agent. For Love, the difference between a five-year deal with Cleveland and a four-year deal with another team this summer is about $30 million. Prior to the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, free agents like James and Chris Bosh were able to get around that problem by pushing for their existing teams to send them out in sign-and-trade arrangements. (Carmelo Anthony gamed the system by taking advantage of the rarely used extend-and-trade route.) Both avenues have been virtually shut down in the current CBA, leaving free agents more discouraged than ever to leave their teams. However, the huge influx of TV money hitting the system in 2016 has changed the dynamic. Why would Love lock into a five-year deal this summer when he could take the calculated risk of doing a shorter deal and then cashing in when the value of max contracts escalates? Based on math performed by the astute Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Love could make almost as much ($106 million) on a four-year deal with another team in 2016 as he could earn on a five-year deal with Cleveland this summer ($109 million). (Note: Love could accomplish the same thing by opting in with Cleveland next season and then re-signing with them in 2016.) But the sting of bolting Cleveland this summer is greatly reduced if Love, for example, opted out and signed elsewhere on a two-year deal with a player option in 2016. The Cavs' advantage of being able to offer a fifth year and bigger raises is canceled out by the fact that a 26-year-old All-Star in Love's position doesn't ... necessarily want ... a five-year deal -- or even a four-year deal -- now. It makes more financial sense for him to wait. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer...dge-love-gasol-face-2-year-vs-longer-max-call 2-year deal structured with an opt out for Love when the TV revenue kicks in? Interesting...
How guys get excited over no name players but turn their noses up on Aldridge, Love, etc just completely blows my mind.
Well if there was even the "hint" of a doubt in the past..... it should be very clear now. Mitch and the front office lurk on LB. Congratulations Barnes and all for making LB "the" go to place for latest and best Lakers information. Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Expected To Pursue DeMarre Carroll Posted by: Ryan Ward Posted date: May 07, 2015 In: Rumors | Comments : 116 SHARETWEET Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Lakers will be busy during the summer with the franchise intent on turning things around as soon as possible. The main focus for Los Angeles right now is the upcoming NBA Draft lottery on May 19 followed by the 2015 NBA Draft on June 25. Although the team is currently concentrating on draft prospects and hoping for the best in the draft lottery, Los Angeles will also look to make a splash in free agency. One of many players the Lakers may pursue is small forward DeMarre Carroll, according to Shaun Powell of NBA.com: He’ll find himself in an interesting spot this summer as a free agent for the second time. Carroll will be in demand and has raised his value to the point where he could triple his salary come 2015-16. But he’s a late-bloomer (28 years old) who doesn’t have a long track record for playing at this level. Interested teams must decide whether Carroll’s best years are indeed ahead of him, or if he’s a role player taking advantage of the Hawks’ system. With the salary cap expected to jump, the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks or Dallas Mavericks (among other teams) could force the Hawks’ financial hand. One of the biggest weaknesses for the Lakers over the past few years has been at the small forward position. At times, Nick Young picks up the slack off the bench at the three spot, but Wesley Johnson simply hasn’t been able to turn the corner and provide consistent play at the position as a starter. Adding Carroll into the mix in Los Angeles would definitely be an upgrade for the Lakers in more ways than one. Carroll is a solid defender and will be coming off a career-year with the Atlanta Hawks in which he averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Signing Carroll may come with a fair amount of risk considering his play may be a product of the system in Atlanta. Carroll has thrived under reigning NBA Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer, and it remains to be seen if he can be as productive in another system after signing a lucrative deal this summer. Carroll is arguably the best option at small forward of the unrestricted free agents expected to hit the open market come July 1. All other top-tier small forwards either have a player option or will be restricted free agents in the off-season. The list of potential free-agent small forwards this summer includes LeBron James (player option), Kawhi Leonard (restricted), Draymond Green (restricted), Jeff Green (player option), Tobias Harris (restricted), Luol Deng (player option) and Paul Pierce (player option). There’s been rumors of the Lakers possibly showing interest in Draymond, Harris and Deng, but the consensus seems to be that none of these players will be leaving their current teams. http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-los-angeles-expected-to-pursue-demarre-carroll/2015/05/07/
If that were true, we should start a thread with the title "Rondo Will Kill The Lakers for ALL Eternity"
As long as we have cap room we will be "pursuing" any and every free agent. Sometimes the Lakers name gets thrown out there by the agents for leverage with other teams. Take everything with a grain of salt and don't believe it until you see them on opening day in a purple and gold uniform.
I think this is most likely, but it all really depends on the draft. If we don't hit the home run in the draft (Okafor, Towns, Mudiay) then I expect the Lakers to go balls out for Love or any other big name free agent. If we hit a home run in the draft, they might still pursue Love but they'll also look at other needs like Carroll.
I think Love = Randle at sf which means attention shifts to center or pg with the remaining cash. It's been said many times, it really all boils down to the lottery in a couple weeks, followed by who we pick. I do agree, especially with Towns or Okafor. If we land one of those two, I think we look elsewhere from Love as we would have two potential stars in the frontcourt. With Mudiay, I could see us still going after Love.
I feel you Elgin. Here's the deal with Love for me. I've watched him since UCLA and some things are awesome. He is a smart player, he rebounds the ball, he is a true stretch 4 with his 3 ball, he is a willing and skilled passer and he throws the best full court outlet in the league. But, he really struggles on D and will only be an increasing liability there as he ages. The injury thing is probably the single biggest flag. There is also a legit question mark of how much of his amazing stat line in Minn is he able to reproduce on a team with other good or great players. He filled those stats as the only player there. We all saw how much his numbers dipped playing with LeBron and Kyrie this year. So, the consideration is not Max deal for a 26/15 PF, but for a 16/10 PF (his numbers this season) who only contributes on offense and is a liability on D. If we sign him, we also have to move Randle to SF because Love can only play center in D'Antoni's twisted universe. For me, all that adds up to looking other directions to rebuild in free agency. But, if we do sign him I won't cry, because he still makes us much better than what we were last year.
If Love is the 3rd best player on your team from a financial perspective, and you could fill in 2 other max slots around him, you have a pretty good team. The injuries with Love are a legitimate concern, though.
Yeah I feel like if we draft a big, then we should focus elsewhere. I'd seriously consider throwing that max at Butler or something along those lines. We'll just have too much going on inside to throw a big contract at Love. If we draft a guard/wing, anything is up for grabs.
