Offseason Hopes / Predictions

Since we're facing a very uncertain offseason here with limitless possibilities, I thought it might be cool to have a thread dedicated to sharing our offseason hopes & predictions.


I'll start.

- Keep at least 3 of the Young Core of Ball, Ingram, Kuzma & Hart together. Only consider moving one if it means bringing in a great player &/or shedding Deng.

- Aquire Paul Gearge

- Explore deals to move or stretch Deng's contract.

- Explore deals to aquire big name Non-Free Agent. i.e. Kawhi, KAT, etc.

- Try to retain Randle if Cap allows.

- Fill out roster with solid Veteran role players.

- Stay the F away from Lebron James.

**Not sure where I stand on IT. May be interesting to keep around if the price is right.

 

* Keep Randle.
* Don't rush FA. Mitch and Jim made that mistake two years ago. If opportunities aren't there, move on to 2019.
* If we can't find big name FA's, find alternatives to IT and KCP. Preferably on 1 year deals.
* Don't shop the young core players. Let other teams make the offer. They know what we have.
* Call other teams about Deng ONLY if a big name FA wants to be here. Teams already know we want to move him.
* Lopez is a very talented player. He's familiar with Luke and the team. He has no torn achilles injury. I'd pick him over Cousins at this point.
* Kuz needs to dedicate himself to playing better D.
* Zo needs to work on scoring.
* BI needs to work on footwork, ballhandling, and improving body mass a little bit more. He's dominating with length right now. Gotta add some dimension to his game.
* Everybody needs to work on FT's.
* We'll win more than 40 games if we don't sign a big name FA and everybody stays healthy.

 

Predictions:

In the draft, the Lakers add one perimeter player and one big, likely both having spent at least three years at a major college program. In free agency, the Lakers add Paul George and re-sign Randle to a deal that is at least 18M per year. No Lebron. No Cousins. The team will make an obligatory effort at Kawhi but when the Spurs ask for BI, Kuz and a future 1st and balk at taking back Deng, the Lakers pass. As such they cater their remaining moves to preserving 2019 cap space. Whether it's using the cap space to absorb an unwanted contract to acquire a draft asset or just signing veterans to one year deals. Then re-sign B. Lopez using the room exception (the Lakers don't get the MLE - that has to be renounced to free up the cap space).

Hopes

In the draft, the Lakers add PF/C Jontay Porter and PG Jevon Carter.
Sign Paul George to 4 year MAX contract
Re-sign Randle to 4 year 72M deal (in other words, it's not 20M or even worse because some team makes a big offer like DAL)
Use the cap space to absorb an unwanted contract for a future 1st round pick (like Marcin Gortat from WAS)
Future moves: At the trade deadline, use that 1st round pick + a future Lakers 1st round pick to unload Deng for an expiring contract
Then go into summer 2019 armed once again with cap space and an intriguing FA market hopefully still having Kawhi and Klay

 

You know I guess the cool thing about having a positive and upbeat demeanor is no matter what happens we are trending upward at the end of the day. I truly am excited AF for next year already, I've always enjoyed the process to the top again.

Even if George doesn't come, slide Hart in the starting spot, re-single Randle, let the full youth ride and see if the new draft class can contribute to make a difference.
Our scouting department has been so good I think we can find another gem, hopefully at worst just gives us depth, something were lacking on the roster.

 

Prediction? Hunger and happiness.

 

1. Improve
2. Do it without signing LLLLLebron

 

-max pg
-retain randle at 4yrs 60mill
-give cousins 3yrs 70mill with player opt yr 2 n yr 3 so he can reup for max if proves healthy
-give max amt left for 1yr of lopez as insurance for dmc n back door agreement that we give him 3yrs full mle next season
-frye vet min
-boot the scrubs i.e. ennis
-buy out deng for 30mill, stretch remaining 6mill or so over 3yrs

 

Hope:
move deng with 25th/lotto protected 1st/2 2nds to clear enough space for next two moves
max pg
max lebron
sign randle 4/60
room exception to lopez
vet guard with vet min (felton type)

Prediction:
max pg
sign randle 4/72
big offer to capela matched
salary absorbing deal to gain a first (like the gortat suggestion above)
keep deng for future flexibility
decent-sized one year deal to IT

 

Hope predictions:

Spoiler: Potential Infinity War Spoilers

 

Hopes: PG opts in and gets traded to LA, #25 and 20.7M trade exception get moved to OKC
Okc does it cause they don't have a 1st round pick this summer and instead of losing PG for nothing, they get a trade exception that doesn't affect the luxury tax bill...if someone gets disgruntled during the year, the ever opportunistic Presti can take that player into the trade exception and pay the pro-rated amount of that player's contract and the taxes accordingly, which saves money overall for Clay.
Boogie leaves NO in free agency; AD finds out that NO lowballed him; AD demands a trade; S&T Jules, Kuz, Hart, conditional LA '19/Sac or LA '21 first rounders (whatever is least favorable and this would happen post draft while the OKC trade would happen pre-draft due to the Stepien Rule) for AD; Sac gets Deng, Zu, LA '21 (if not converted to NOP)/'23 first round picks. Sac does it to get some future 1st rounders and some international flavor in Deng and Zu....and plus Vlade and that Sacs organization are a bunch of suckers so they make easy #DumpDeng targets. NOP does it cause, hey these are my "hopes" and they're at my mercy at the moment
With PG/AD, that's about 46M in committed salary next year, add in Zo and BI plus incomplete roster charges (that's for you Eddie ) and you're looking at team salary that is definitely south of 66M. With George opting in, we traded for his bird rights and can give him a nice extension. Give the max to LaBron and call it a day....or hold it over for Kawhi the following summer.
#Titles

Predictions: #Titles, cause whatever Rob/Mag do, I'm confident we're going to compete soon enough.