I would trade Young, Kelly and 27th pick for Ariza + 18 assuming the rockets are desperate for the cap space. Throw in the 34th if we have to. If WCS drops likes the rumors are saying, I would draft him. If he's not there, draft Hollis-Jefferson or reach(?) for Anderson with the pick. The potential front court of Okafor, Randle, WCS, and Black to me is a great balance of offense, defense, and rebounding and can make teams pay for going small. I wouldn't do the trade if I were the Rockets, but maybe they value the cap space that much and are intrigued by the 3 point-shooting skills of Young and Kelly at the 4, not the 3.
No way we get #18 back and we wouldn't have the room for it. To get Ariza we'd have to get a 3rd team involved (Houston trying to dump salary). We'd trade out Young, Kelly, and the #27 to make room for Ariza. Then you have- Clarkson/??? Kobe/Brown Ariza/??? Aldridge/Randle Okafor/Black With various exceptions to help fill out the roster.
So is LMA's decision to come here contingent on us getting Demarcus Cousins? How does everyone feel about a DeMarcus - LaMarcus frontcourt for the next 5 years vs Okafor-Randle frontcourt?
The Lakers FO should just do what they believe is best now and for the future. After that, they need to sell the idea to LMA. Is trading for Cousins what's best for the future and for now? I don't think so, especially with what the Kings are demanding. Between LMA/Cousins and Okafor/Randle, I would instantly take LMA/Cousins. However, I'd much rather have a trio of LMA/Okafor/Randle than a duo of LMA/Cousins.
It would be almost impossible to get both. We'd have to have no other salaries besides Kobe, Cousins, and maybe Kelly to have enough room to get Aldridge too. So no, I don't think Cousins is involved in that decision at all.
Still kind of sucks that he'll walk without them getting something in return, but yeah it's definitely nice knowing ahead of time.
Dang forreal? I think you gotta look at LMA/Cousins as by far the best frontcourt in the league...as LMA is the second best PF, and Cousins is the second best center....I mean they complement each other really well. Plus think about it, we instantly become really attractive to someone like KD next summer...it's a lot to think about and I'm ultimately OK with us not doing anything and staying the course with the young guns...but it's interesting to think about... If we get LMA/DC, and then sign Rondo with the mini-MLE, suddenly we are looking at a really balanced starting lineup of Rondo, Kobe, Young, LMA, DC....if Mitch can pull all of that off without giving up Randle, then we got Randle off the bench or possibly at the 3....there will be at least 2 playoff spots opening up, with Portland definitely bowing out, and Dallas maybe also taking a step down....OKC and the Lakers would come into those playoff spots very easily...a lot to love about going in this direction as it doesn't completely handicap us going forward as LMA doesn't rely on athleticism and will be 34 at the end of this deal (same age as Pau right now, and they have similar skills, and Pau is still killing it), and Cousins is only 24 right now...plus we can land a 3rd superstar in 2016...cap explodes, we get more pieces..we can stay dominant for 5 years or more.
Does that mean we have an excellent chance if we call LMA's agent before the Spurs find a suitor for Splitter?
You cannot have Young on the roster while getting Cousins and Aldridge. You certainly cannot have Young AND Randle on the roster. You MIGHT be able to keep Clarkson, Black, and Brown but I'm not even sure about that. Maybe just one or two of them.
My mouth is already watering with the prospect of starting team of: Okafor LMA Randle (slimmed down and hitting the outside J) Kobe JC GREAT blend of skills and Vet / Youth.
Give me a moment to digest that.... 2014 ---------> 2015 Price ---------> Clarkson Ellington ---------> Kobe Johnson ---------> Randle Davis ---------> LMA Hill ---------> Okafor Hmm... improve much?
