2022-23 Team Developments: News / Trades / Free Agents / Rumors

Most importantly, it gives us an identity again. We're bigger than you and you're getting nothing at the rim. Look at what the C Bags were able to do this year with Horford checking the primary front court scorer and Rob Williams coming from the weak side to contest shots. With AD and Turner, you have two guys who could fill either of those roles. Also, with those two protecting the rim you're no longer asking LeBron to fly around on weak side help as much. Now he can just be a stout perimeter defender, which he is still capable of doing. Offensively, I know LeBron doesn't want to fill the point guard role full time but I think that's probably the best role for him as he ages. No need to average 30ppg, give us like 23-25ppg and 10asts like he did in 2020. The 2020 team was 11th in offensive rating in the regular season, I like the idea of letting LeBron cruise in that role during the regular season because he'll always take on greater scoring responsibility in the postseason.

 

No one has ever seen Buddy Hield in a playoff game. We're so sure he'll perform?

 

wasn't Lebron all for drafting Shabazz with Cleveland or something? Or was that a different guy?

 

Miami, 2014 Shabazz Napier

I thought the same thing and had to look it up

 

LOL so Riles obliges and he leaves anyway.

 

shabazz muhammad? lol. might as well bring in anthony bennett for a workout too

 

I would do that Buddy Hield and Myles Turner trade - but not right now. There's no reason to.

If I'm Rob, I'd tell Indiana that it's too much to give up for the Lakers at this point in the off-season and if Indiana gets close on any other deals involving those two, then circle back and discuss the deal again with a renewed sense of purpose.

But right now, that's not happening. How do we know? Because Turner and Hield would be traded right now if that was the case. They also have $30M in cap space available and no-one to spend it on unless they want to give Boogie Cousins or Schroder max money.

So if I'm the Lakers, sit tight and let the dominoes fall. The first domino will be Donovan Mitchell. Once that falls, contact Utah and check in on Conley, Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Beverley. Lots of potential Russ trades with that team.

Keep waiting on Kevin Durant and see what evolves from that. If he does eventually get traded, then that opens up more urgency on Brooklyn's side. Kyrie has no market outside of us. If he comes out publicly and says he wants to stay and wants Kyrie to stay, then the Lakers can pivot to other deals.

I'm willing to bet (as much as I dislike him) Rob has deals on the table that he can go to a moments notice. In 2019 after Kawhi said no, we had KCP, McGee and Danny Green on our team within 15 minutes after Kawhi made his decision. Him and Jeanie have both said openly that the rosters not done. You don't talk like that unless you KNOW the roster to open the season won't be the one you see now. We have a surplus of guards.

Westbrook, Nunn, Reaves, THT, Walker, Brown Jr. All of those guys should get minutes if they're on the team. They won't be.

 

The league is much, much deeper since then.

These were the playoff teams and how many games they played in the playoffs:

Lakers (21 games)
Heat (21 games)
Denver (19 games)
Boston (17 games)
Clippers (13 games) -choke-
Houston Rockets (12 games)
Toronto (11 games)
Milwaukee (10 games)
Utah (7 games)
OKC (7 games)
Mavericks (6 games)
Magic (5 games)
Portland (5 games)
Brooklyn (4 games)
Pacers (4 games)
Philadelphia (4 games)

Out of those teams - who comes out for sure? Houston, Utah, OKC, Magic, Pacers.
Who stays for sure? Heat, Denver, Boston, Clippers, Toronto, Milwaukee, Mavericks, Philadelphia, Lakers (if acquire Hield/Turner for Russ)
Who maybe stays out of that? Portland, Brooklyn (KD/Kyrie)
More importantly, who's in the mix or potentially in the mix that wasn't included? GSW (obviously), Phoenix, New York (Mitchell), T-Wolves, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Chicago, Hawks.

 

I agree with

I agree with Ben, that package is over-valued especially if we offered draft compensation and were rejected. I'm thinking it may have been 1 FRP and 1 or 2 SRPs. And Russ is the expiring they need to clear the space. Buddy, as bad as most of us are letting on, really he's just a little undersized. That he shoots is a given, but he hustles and gives some effort on D. He just doesn't have the reach and size to be great there.

And I don't feel our need at center is there now with Bryant and Jones, especially Bryant. Certainly not in the 20+ million range were we to resign Turner. Great on blocks but so is AD (2.8 compared to 2.3 last season). Turner was way out-boarded by Sabonis. Both Bryant and Jones board at the same clip as Turner per 36 min. I consider him just out of viable range from 3 by a few % so, more incentive for AD to continue being Larry Turd from out there. Bryant shot impressively from 3 in '20-'21. Turner blocks better than both but Jones is getting there and who cares with AD.

I hope this is all just Rob working the Kyrie angle, checking other opportunities to get a leg up on Marks.

 

I find it strange that Myles Turner’s value has dropped so much. He’s your prototypical modern day center. Any number of teams will want him. I thought he would be taken off the market since they traded Sabonis first.

I’m guessing his injury concern is the cause of it. But then Indy shouldn’t trade him until the deadline, show he’s healthy and can still play at a high level. And maybe he actually works well with Haliburton.

 

I think Russ provides a way to get off salaries and that alone earns the trade without further picks etc. IF the incoming players warrant picks, that's different but I see Hield as someone they are feigning that they value and Turner as someone they actually value. So I see it as 1FRP and 1-2 SRPs.

 

Yeah I don't agree that they need two firsts, I'm fine "missing out" on that deal if they don't come around to just take one first. Also while it makes it better, I'm not sure it helps enough to actually win anything.