2023-24 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

If you can get Harden for Dlo and Rui and one first rounder (protected) it's a no brainer.
Anything more than that let Philly take a hike.

No one "wants" Harden enough to give Philly a start package in return but the Lakers ironically have the assets to take a flyer on him and still give Philly guys who can play in their rotation. Lakers brought in depth like Wood/Hayes/Prince/Gabe so that a consolidation trade makes senses for them.

I have no reason to believe this is going to happen but Harden may hate Morey so much that he's willing to nuke his value to the point that he's willing to hurt Morey and cost himself money in the process

 

This forum will absolutely blow up! If we land Harden

 

If we trade a pick for Harden we aren't getting it back. And we have 2 max players that are old and untradable in LeBron and Harden.
So in a couple years when Luka or alike ask out, we have one less pick, one less young guy with upside and one less potential expiring. Star players don't hit free agency so we are stuck with AD and Reaves for the next 5 years. Promising.
"No brainer".

Not to mention the on-court stuff that I rant about yesterday.

It's a bad move in short, mid and long term. On the court and off the court.

 

If Luka wants to come to the Lakers, it's not going to be held up by a protected first round pick and Rui Hachimura. Other teams like OKC and the Knicks who have talent are going to have a lot more assets to offer than the Lakers. The Lakers value proposition for stars is always going to be that they take care of stars including paying them past their prime, the ability to attract other FAs, and good scouting department to get talent on the cheap (plus you're in LA with access to LA fun and lucrative endorsement deals). If Luka wants to come it's going to be more along the Kawhii and AD routes - he's going to let his contract near completion. Different than Lillard who had a big and long contract

Outside of Lakers fandom, Dlo and Rui are thought of more highly for their contract than their potential/play. I would be more concerned about potentially losing out on other players (grant from portlant, ATL if they are bad with Murray/Hunter) if I was the Lakers FO than planning for a Luka move right now

 

Harden would be the 4th best player on the Lakers: he's a very good passer, 3 point shooter, and iso scorer. He would be awesome on the Lakers IMO.
It's not like you're replacing some great playoff performer in Dlo and Rui (who was great against Memphis and then faded).

I just think Lakers fans are really overrating some of the dudes here and underrating Harden (not as a top 2 guy but as a number 4). And you still have a lot of depth after that: Wood, Hayes, Prince, Vando, Max, and Gabe on top of the AD/Lebron/Reaves.

It's all about fit: everyone but me was surprised but how well Wood did on defense the other day. Lakers would be really good with both top end talent and depth. This is very different than the Brick situation where the Lakers gave up a s*** ton of assets

 

much like with jrue, we can't move rui/dlo/gabe until dec 15, so it's a bit of idle chatter. in the holiday case, i knew he'd move sooner, so i didn't entertain the offer, but i didn't dismiss it other than it was immediately impossible.

the harden rumors are just to light a fire under philly. and it won't work. morey waited out the simmons situation, and he'll wait this one out. he might not get rescued again, but he'll wait.

the trade restrictions on dlo are a bonus, imo, rather than a downside. we won't be able to move them until we know something. if we tried to move earlier, their value would be equally low, imo. so if we hit mid-december and want to move someone, they're salary ballast (tbh, for kyrie or harden).

anyway, i don't want harden (read my post history). i want preseason dlo to return and offseason rui to meet his promise. i want to be rejecting rather than making calls from dec-feb.

all that said, if dlo and rui keep doing this for 25 games, i'll bid on harden and kyrie.

re: the luka trade asset scenario--that's a good point, pika. that 29 pick would have to be top-10 protected and turn into 2nds immediately if i'm giving it up for a non-superstar. and while i agree with the counterpoint that luka will be in an impending FA situation (and thus can be had at a lower price), the soonest that happens is two years from now. that pushes out the draft capital situation as well.

anyway, too many unknowns to really feel good about it for me as a guy who's not paid to do this.

and i still believe the team as constructed can grow into a contender as the season progresses, without making any moves.

 

lol, how am i a james harden stan now? he'd definitely be our third best player, by a wide margin. at least right now. and i love reaves probably as much as anyone.

again, i'd prefer not doing it, but it's not as insane as trading kcp/kuz/1st for russ's corpse. not at all.

 

I like the team as constructed as I agree they have the talent to grow into something special. But I also like the roster because for the first in a long time they will also have the contracts and assets to make a consolidation play to turn depth into talent. Other title contenders are too cap strapped or simply don't have the assets to move to make one of those Rasheed Wallace like moves (another flawed star who fit like a glove when moved into a specific role)

 

absolutely. i've been begging to get back to two stars and a bunch of solid players on moveable contracts. we're there. we can pivot if need be, but i believe in the general vision, too.

 

I said the same when we got LeBron ! Yet I am still a fan.

Edit: if Le goat wants Harden He gets him . It all rides on him .

 

RIP Mathew Perry .

 

I don't think you can trade newly signed FA's like Rui and Dlo till December 15th. This assuredly is fake news

 

LeBron James is worried about Lakers chemistry

 

He didn't talk about team chemistry, it's about roles. Reaves, Rui and Dlo are meant to take a step forward and they haven't yet. It takes time, that's what he meant

 

On a non guaranteed deal, too. Damn.