2015 Free Agent Discussion

Exactly. My dream SF acquisition would be Butler, but we still have a good chance at Carroll, Harris, to name a few.

If Butler for Clarkson was the only deal out there, I do it, but it's not. The situation is really Butler for Clarkson and potentially replacing targeting Harris or Carroll, and I don't take that deal.

Harris or Carrol+ Clarkson> Butler.

 

I feel ya. I didn't mean to put your idea down I just feel that strongly against it.

Clarkson and especially Randle I feel have a great chance of being something real special for us moving forward and they want to a Laker

 

I am willing to give up Clarkson, the 27th and the 34th. I'd even throw in Tarik Black. But Randle too? Yeah, no. I think everyone knows how much I like Clarkson, and if that's what it takes to lock up Butler now, I do it. But Randle AND Clarkson is not helping us long-term. We might be better next year, but we need a "Big" Three." Okafor/Randle/Butler can be that.

I hope we just throw a max deal at Butler with a player option after year one. He accepts it, Bulls match it and then he opts out and comes here in 2016. Can you imagine a starting five of Okafor/Randle/Durant/Butler/Clarkson?

Honestly, if Butler signs with us the second the clock strikes mid-night on July 1, 2016, that would be awfully tempting for Durant, especially if our 3 younglings excel this season.

 

I don't agree on the "Big Three" thing. I think that's a narrative pulled up by the media that gets perpetuated. It started with Boston with Garnett, Pierce, and Allen. Well before that we had the greatest BIg Two in history with Kobe and Shaq. Before that we had Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Scott, Thompson, Mcadoo, Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, etc etc etc We had one of the most stacked freaking teams ever. I mean Wilkes hardly ever gets mentioned in the 80s and the guy is in the Hall of Fame! We don't need a "Big Three" we need dynastic talent. I think we're already on our way there with an enormous opportunity to get closer this summer and next.

For Butler I would offer Clarkson/Black/27/34 for Butler/22 but I think that's it. That's giving up a LOT of young talent for Butler who could just walk here.

Your idea of signing the two year offer sheet with LA is genius. It's essentially forcing his way to LA through an RFA contract. Chicago can match the deal, but eventually that season they have to consider moving him right? If he says expressly that he wants LA or NY or Miami, the Lakers pounce with that ^ offer. So the question for Chicago becomes: why did we wait half a season to get the same package we could have gotten in the summer? We might as well have just made the deal when we had the chance.

I'm going to come up with a comprehensive plan revolving around a Butler deal in a minute...

 

Okay so here's the "Butler to LA" Plan- *cue the How I Met Your Mother Barney Plan music*
-this is assuming we leave the draft with Okafor and Delon Wright-

Step 1. At midnight sign Jimmy Butler to a 1+1/34.5 million dollar deal. It starts at 16.85 million. That ties up 16.85 million for 3 days. This forces Chicago to consider two things: 1. Do they match the offer only for Butler to become an UFA and leave the next season for the same location or 2. do they try to come up with a trade that the Lakers are willing to give them for Butler? Tough call. I'm guessing they match and hold out hope they can retain Butler despite his apparent desire to leave.

Step 2. With money tied up, it's important to continue to build the team. There's only 4.46641 million available right now to spend. What's the next biggest need of the franchise and what's the next greatest player available for this price? I throw this money at Ed Davis. Ed was a great role player for us last year, we'd give him a solid role on the squad backing up our rookie Okafor. There's nights he'd probably play close to 30 minutes and provide us with good defense, rebounding, and efficient scoring. Sign Ed Davis to a deal worth 4/21.460346 million dollars.

Step 3. We're technically now at the Cap. That gives us the BAE which starts at 1.672 million dollars. Use the BAE on Ellington and sign him for 2/3.422 million dollars. Fair deal for both teams.

Step 4. By now the Chicago Bulls have likely matched the offer and forced you to look in another direction. Here's where things get really interesting. Now we've got 16.85 million to spend before the cap. We've got two glaring holes now: starting SF and backup PG. However! We know next summer we've got a wink-wink deal to get Jimmy Butler in a Laker uniform. Still though, we'd like to make a playoff run asap, right? The dream is to add Durant next summer, but to do that we need to get competitive right NOW which means getting a starting SF come hell or high water! Get me DeMarre Carroll on the phone! Sign DeMarre Carroll to a deal worth 4/50 million dollars! That deal starts at 11.7 million!

Step 5. By now those of you keeping up know we've got 5.692995 million left over to spend. Wow that looks like a good amount doesn't it? We've got one glaring weakness still and that's the PG spot. I think most of you know where I'm going and that's right: Rajon Rondo. We offer Rondo a 1+ TO for 11.642995 million dollars. That gives us the depth we need at every position this summer to make a big push for the 8th seed out west. We're deep, we're versatile, we're young, and we're ready to rock and roll! If you don't like Rondo, just use the name Mo Williams in your brain. It'll make ya feel better.

Quick break-
Rondo/Clarkson/Wright
Kobe/Ellington/Brown
Carroll/Young
Randle/Black/Kelly
Okafor/Davis/Sacre

Step 6. Sometime during the season Chicago will realize they made a mistake. Butler is leaving whether they like it or not. Now is our chance to screw 'em because Butler already signed his offer sheet here. Well too bad suckas! We can't even match salaries with you anyway! Unless you get a third team involved, we ain't interested!

Step 7. The year goes by. The Lakers are competitive again! A veteran back court with rookies and young folks abound. The Lakers fought hard, won 45 games, and barely snuck into the playoffs where they were totally annihilated by the Warriors. Oh well. What a turnaround for this great franchise. Now Kobe expires and he admits it's time for him to go. He'll go out remembered as a fighter till the end and one of the Greatest of All Time.

Now things get really really interesting!

Step 8. The Lakers head into the 2016 summer with only 41.441038 million in guaranteed contracts. Qualifying offers go out to Clarkson and Black for .981358 million each and cap holds take us to 45.401038 million. Assuming the cap sits at roughly 87 million, we'd have 41.598962 million to spend. Butler's max contract that summer starts at 21.75 million dollars. Durant's starts at 26.1 million dollars. If we sign Durant do you think Butler maybe takes a little less than his full max to be here? You think maybe Butler is willing to go down to just about 16 million instead?... I don't know...

OH WAIT. Rondo is on a Team Option. Opt out of his Team Option. The Lakers go from having 41.59892 million available to having 47.04892 million dollars available. The Lakers could then trade away Ellington or Wright to clear the remaining room necessary to give Butler a max deal. Since Clarkson and Black are both RFAs at that point, I'm not 100% sure what happens with them... We may have to let them go if a team offers them contracts (and of course they'll be offered). Their agents could play ball with us and give us time to sort out our situations with Jimmy and Durant or we could simply have to let them walk. If both Clarkson and Black leave though and say we are forced to jettison Ellington... Here's where we end up:

Wright
Butler
Durant/Carroll
Randle
Okafor/Davis

Say they play ball and we keep Clarkson and Black around

Clarkson/Wright
Butler
Durant/Carroll
Randle
Okafor/Davis

 

First of all this is specifically built FOR #1 because reports were released yesterday that Butler would be willing to sign here.

Second of all Rondo is integral to the plan! Weren't you paying attenion??

 

Man you guys really don't know how to have any fun.

It's a tongue in cheek post. I thought that was really obvious and you're here trying to analyze it.

I give up.