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

But, we still have AD though.

 

man just drop it, no matter how you paint it or whatever reasoning you can come up with, he's just not a good player anymore. He shoots almost 40% from the field and less than 30% from 3, is a minus on defense, is a turnover machine, even his driving to the rim was bad last season, which used to be his main threat. He misses tons of layups now due to faltering athleticism.

in almost any game where Lebron is healthy, we're better off with any decent role player on the field instead of Russ.

we need to get rid of Russ if we have any chance to be competitive this year.

 

that is incredible. At least he got to heal on company time and company dime

 

Okay fair enough. We'll see this fall

 

and once again (not that i care in this instance), john wall gives up precisely the mini mle in his buyout and the clippers supposedly give him precisely the mini mle days before FA starts.

just stop with the rules if they don't really exist.

 

The FT could ease up some, I agree, but he has a decent stroke from 3. Brook Lopez didn't even start shooting 3 pointers until his 9th season in the League.

 

The rules are meant to keep the Lakers in check.

 

yeah, his shot's pretty ugly, and those are all generally last resorts. but he was still a net positive on the floor. again, if we didn't have a pg who is treated like dwight howard on the perimeter, we wouldn't have to be concerned.

 

i don't believe that. but i do believe that the optics are definitely about being as anti-laker as possible to appease the average laker-hating fan, and it's annoying.

 

Russell Westbrook can't play off his own (bleep).

It's over. The experiment was the worst in Lakers history. 47 million dollar a year players with his attitude don't get better as they age. You can scream it atop the tallest building all you want, if Russell Westbrook is a Laker opening night and through the season, the Lakers will NOT win s***. End of story.

 

Lol..Gasol had an ugly shot too...and he was trigger shy even left wide open!! I think the youngster has some potential as a stretch 5. Chris Jent and some gymn time can do some work here IMO.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.oc...tenstein-green-light-to-shoot-3-pointers/amp/

 

Stay tuned..I'm sure we will revisit this one often.

 

gasol could pass, too, though. having a passing center is underappreciated, imo. because even if folks lay off, he can see the floor and find guys (unbothered by defenders). also, gasol shot about 38% on 3 attempts for the last 7 years of his career.

hartenstein has attempted 47 three pointers in 4 years.

it's just not at all comparable.

i'd want hartenstein to bring the things dwight can't anymore. we can't get a marc gasol at the vet min.

 

Goodbye Kyrie, goodbye Wall.

 

I don't like either, I'm all aboard the depth for Russ. I would not have given up anything in a trade for Wall. For Kyrie, i would only pause at a 1 for 1 and any extension for Kyrie would have to be Team Options. BUT...
1) Fewer trade options = less leverage in a Russ trade
2) Wall at min or Kyrie for the mini mid would have opened up the options for us in unloading Russ.
3) I thought maybe Bron and Klutch owed us after their all star weekend/ trade deadline hissy fit and they'd pay us back by getting Wall here for cheap.

 

I want it all, I'm greedy..I have no doubts that he can bring that traditional big stuff, but I'm actually serious about the Brook thing, I think this kid can have a Monk like year for us at 5. The problem is that Malik deserves that MLE too. Maybe they can split it, and both get a bigger pay raise next summer.

 

I welcome it.

 

That would mean they would and could admit to being at fault, for any of it.
I miss the days when more people had integrity.

 

Look at the powerhouse medical squad the Clips are putting together. Past 4 seasons, their "big 3". Only one had a season that could by any reasoning be considered decent. Out of the past 4 years, the 3 of them averaged 49% games played (compensated for the covid shortened years). Yes, less than 1/2 the games.
Games played past 4 years:
Kawhi 9/60/57/52
Paul George 31/54/48/77
John Wall 32/0/40/0

Paul George is 32 will be 33 in this season's playoffs
Kawhi Leonard is 31 Wednesday
John Wall 32 before this season starts.

All are north of the desired ages for chronically injured NBA players. Projections are not that difficult. This squad looks mean on paper and they got some good pickups last year in Norman Powell and Robert Covington but the numbers say they will have one of the big 3 available come playoffs, not more.

 

Aside from the big 3 earners; I’d love to keep Nunn, Monk, Reaves, Christie & Stan. That’s a lot of nice young guys to continue to develop.

Which means we got a few first rounders, THT + Gabriel at around 12m in salary to trade. So we should be able to take back around 15m if I’m not mistaken. Here are some 3 and/or D players that earn around that much:

Myles Turner (great 3&D Center, going to take THT & Nunn plus pick/s)
Brook Lopez (good 3&D but older now)

OG Anunoby (great 3&D, it’ll take Nunn and THT and both picks)
Gary Trent Jr (good 3&D, need another 2m in salary plus a pick)
Malik Beasley (improving 3&D, was great after all star break but but off court troubles, could be a high risk high reward pickup)

There are also some free agents that might be had for the MLE or vet minimums:

Gary Harris
Taureen Prince
Otto Porter Jr
TJ Warren
Joe Ingles
Victor Oladipo
Wesley Matthews
Danuel House


Thaddeus Young
Mo Bamba
Hartenstein
Javale McGee
Damien Jones

If we could swing a trade for any of those 5 targets I do it and I try my best to keep Nunn if at all possible. Then you try to sign Monk back to the MLE and get 2 wings and a center via vet minimums.

Example:

Russ / Monk
Anunoby / Reaves
Lebron / Stan / Christie
AD / Ingles / Melo
McGee / Jones / Howard

or

Russ / Monk
Warren / Reaves
Lebron / Stan / Christie
AD / Ingles / Melo
Turner / Jones / Howard

or

Russ / Nunn
Beasley / Reaves
Lebron / Stan / Christie
AD / Ingles / Melo
Hartenstein / Jones / Howard

Whichever way we slice it, we can get a new half a playoff rotation in Nunn, tht trade, 2 strategic vet minimums.