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.
I’ll do 2 list because my hopes are different then my predictions. PREDICTIONS * We get Paul George * We get Lebron- Cookie turns back into dough from her tears. * We stretch Deng. * We keep Randle because Bron, PG and Randle all take a little less. * Lopez stays for MLE. * We get some ring chasing vets for min. HOPES * We get Paul George * We keep Randle for 14 to 16 mil. * We keep Deng and stretch/trade him next year or trade deadline. * We go after Kawhi, if healthy. * BI has a breakout season. * ZO shoots much better and is healthy all year. * We sign a vet for a 1 year big money deal. * We move up to top 10 in defense for the year. * Lavar realizes he misses Lithuania and moves back.
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.
My hopes are actually exactly Cookie's predictions. Make them so FO! Sorry you'll turn to dough though Cookie, LOL. I want PG, Lebron, retain Randle and Lopez for the Room Exception. That line up challenges GS and wipes the floor with Houston in my opinion. Let's review: starters - Lonzo, Ingram, PG, Lebron, Lopez. Early sub is Randle at small ball center. Bench - vet pg minimum signing, Hart, Kuzma, Randle, Bryant or Zu or maybe even Channing Frye. If we can get a really good vet backup pg we are in serious business.
-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: - Trade Deng with picks. - Max LeBron, max George, retain Julius. - Retain Lopez for the Room Exception, scoop up a couple vets. - Lonzo, Ingram, and Kuzma come back stronger. - Lonzo becomes vastly more efficient. Predictions: - Max George - Retain Julius and Lopez, possibly Thomas, maybe a surprise veteran comes in as a FA - Lonzo comes back a little stronger, still not quite strong enough
Predictions: Stretch Deng Sign PG to a max deal. Sign Lebron to a max deal Sign Lopez to the exception Hope: Move Deng with picks and maybe Zu Sign Randle to 15 million a year Sign PG to a max deal Resign Lopez to a one year deal Resign IT to a one-year deal just to watch Weezy meltdown Watch Kawhi's season in San Antonio unfold the same way PG's did this season and it becomes a forgone conclusion he's coming here
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
Hopes (in no particular order): 1) We bring back Randle for 4 Years starting around $16-18 million a year 2) Sign PG 3) Bring back Brook because I think he was really valuable for Randle to have more room in the paint 4) Sign Lebron if its no more than a 3 year deal with year 3 being some kind of option. Prefer team option, but I can live with a player option b/c I feel like if Lebron was really have way in the grave he would just retire, rather than continue to suffer/suck. 5) **Trade Deng for future picks and Zu, maybe Thomas if need be in order to bring Randle back** **Assumes we are able to sign Lebron, if we don't sign lebron I'd rather we just sign Randle and stretch Deng if we want that extra room or wait his contract out instead of including future picks.** Predictions: I've been following this team and front office as closely as any hardcore fan possibly can and honestly I don't have a clue what is going to happen. I know what all the possibilities and options are, but its just amazing to me just how much weight PG and Lebron's decisions have on our off-season. I will say this though - If we do sign Randle back I believe its going to be starting at around $19-21 million/year. We're in for a wild, emotional, heart pounding first week or so in July.... I PROMISE YOU that.
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.
Predictions...none. Too many scenarios, possibilities, lip service and posturing. Going by with everybody's thoughts. OK, sign George! Hope...health, conditioning, surpass last season's defensive efficiency and damn better free throw shooting.
