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

Interesting that we're working out a guard.

Either we plan on moving some guards out in a trade or Nunn is still a question mark.

Or just collecting data for any mid season move.

 

he last played (poorly) in the nba 4 years ago. most recently starred for the beermen, which (looks at photo above), checks the hell out.

is he a klutch guy or something?

 

They have cap space to absorb a big chunk of Westbrook's salary. And McConnel $8mil to trade.

And I imagined they try and hold him until the trade deadline for better deals.

 

I feel like we’re clearly working toward something and will ship our at least one of Nunn or THT. It’s just a matter of which trade actually lands.

 

I don’t know. I honestly thought it was some kind of joke tweet when I first read it. Lol

 

Do we not think Hield/Turner clearly improves the team? Hield is fine, he'd instantly be out third best offensive player but he's pretty one-dimensional on that end and has his struggles defensively. Turner's status as a stretch 5 is a bit overstated (over the last three seasons when he's upped his attempts to around 4 per game, he's at 34%), but he is the perfect fit next to AD defensively. I think AD and Turner alone gives us a pretty damn high defensive ceiling and Turner is only 26 now. If we could make that trade for both FRPs, I'd do it.

THT/Nunn
Hield/Reaves/Walker IV
LeBron/Brown Jr.
AD/JTA/Stanley
Turner/Bryant/Jones

That looks solid to me and it gives THT an actual chance to show what he can do. I'd still prefer Kyrie but we're in limbo on that front.

 

gotta believe this is just some cattle call we're having for the g-league and shabazz's agent is trying to drum up interest.

 

Yes and no as far as improving the team. Last year we saw how much just having true nba caliber players improved the product on the court. Hield and Turner make us better but I’m not sure they make us better enough since Turner is injury prone and I’m not a big Buddy guy either.

just having a team with pieces that fit and clearly defined roles is a huge step in the right direction for us.

I still lean toward a package built around Kyrie if we want to have a shot at a championship but I like that we’re working the phones.

 

Shabazz is amongst “several” veterans we’re working out. I’d be curious to know who else is on that list, but I think it’s just more due diligence. I wouldn’t read into it at all in terms of our roster construction or potential moves.

I was at UCLA when Shabazz came and dude was a huge let down. There was so much hype around him coming out of high school.

With that said, I’m always on board with working out former lottery picks who are still under 30. Never know when an unexpectedly promising reclamation project might emerge. I’d still be down to get Josh Jackson a training camp invite too.

 

It just happened with Stanley last season, to an extent. I'd give Jarrett Culver a look too.

 

johnson was 25, as is culver, i think. shabazz is almost 30, had a 5-year nba stint and has been downgrading in overseas leagues since then. anyway, looks like i was right that it's just a cattle call that he's going to be at. no problem with that.

but his case isn't like josh jackson, culver, or johnson, imo. it's beyond a lotto reclamation and into "i expected to see this guy losing in that three on three league".

 

The Indiana trade is an excellent move: if we run the Russ trade over I would have been fine moving the assets for Russ (KCP, Kuzma, 1st rounder) for Hield/Turner.

Turner/AD instantly makes the Lakers a top 5 defense again: team gets built around using AD's unique skillset on offense/defense and Hield is a poor defender but he's actually a shooter you can play in the 4th quarter. He instantly gives the Lakers way more spacing.

I actually like this better then the Kyrie trade as it gives the Lakers depth. Backcourt isn't great but between Hield/Reaves/Nunn it isn't hard to find a league average PG to fill it out and the frontcourt becomes very very good - AD/Lebron/Turner/Johnson and you have great offense/defense versatility

 

Sure, most likely. No harm though in bringing him in for a workout to verify.

He also seems to be invested enough into this comeback attempt and an agent able to facilitate puff pieces with The Athletic, so also no harm in doing a favor for that agent.

 

I guess the way I look at this: that core would be better than the Bubble Team.
Turner is an incredible fit next to AD and he's more playable against 5 out lineups then Dwight was. McGee was basically benched for the playoffs
Hield is just better on offense than anybody not named Lebron/AD - I would easily trust him more then Morris/Kuzma to make shots in the playoffs

A lot falls on whether AR or THT can fill in the KCP gap who was critical as a defender/shooter in the playoffs but if he can i would actually be excited to watch the lakers again. Again IMO we're discounting how good the Lakers were before the Westbrook trade and that a trade like this would go back to that model. 2 stars with a focus on defense and fit after that

 

Whiteside is known as being one of the if not THE dumbest players in the entire NBA. Him not having a contract screams out just how dumb everyone thinks he is.

I think Trezz would have gotten a deal for tax payers mid level already if not for his weed charge. That'll allow a team to leverage him into a minimum deal for a year.

DS. f*** him and his tattoo. Don't want him unless the alternatives are Russ or Pat Bev. Literally if there's any other option, give me that option.

Good to see talks are legit and they're willing to deal with us at all. A first for each of those players makes sense from Indy's end. Don't like it for ours because it hurts the subsequent trade involving THT and possibly Nunn. That team will want a first, too. If we can make it a 3 team and the third team gets a second rounder from us and one from Indy (that will equal the value of a 1st) or Indy takes that option and team 3 gets the other first. Whatever. Not against using both 1st, just don't want to give them both to Indy and get stuck unable to clear the guard logjam after.

Why? Even if we're scraping the bottom of the barrel, that better be a deep barrel. Shabazz is trash.

 

Man, I do Russ and two firsts for Buddy and Turner in a heartbeat. Maybe I’m an idiot though.

 

all day this. i really thought we could have run it back and been very competitive. lebron's another year older this year, but the three-star model is still super flawed.

yeah, it's just that teh dumb usually shows up in advanced metrics, and his are generally good at every stop. you can say it's because he has a narrowly prescribed role, but he tends to do fine in it! maybe people have decided you can't win with anyone playing that role regularly.

and he might be trouble on a min with a lot of grumbling about PT and being showcased, etc.

lol, i've got bad news for you...

i don't see how indy can ask for a 1st for hield. he's got another year on that contract and performs at basically a replacement player level. we're three years past his highwater mark as a player, and he's added nothing but age since then. he's got negative trade value, imo. this is why i think russ for hield/turner/1 protected 1st is a fair trade. if indy doesn't want it, ok. guessing they won't be that total haul in separate trades.

i'd like to avoid using both 1sts at all, if possible. again, because they're so far out. and again again, if they're lotto protected and then turn into 2nds, i'm good using both.

 

I still stand by my view that Kyrie + Curry or Harris are absolutely worth 2 FRP’s.

I do not think the same for Hield and Turner. I do like them both, but don’t think they move the needle nearly enough.

With that said, although logically I don’t think they’re worth 2 FRP’s, emotionally I so badly want Westbrook gone that I could talk myself into that deal.

So if I were Rob, my approach would be to wait to see how the KD/Kyrie situation plays out. This would be the number one option that you’d be content giving up both picks for.

Meanwhile, you negotiate with Indiana (and/or Utah on similar types of packages) to see if you can get a package of good roleplayers (Hield/Turner or some combination of Conley/Clarkson/Beverly/Gay/Beasley/Bogdanovic) while only having to give up one FRP.

This simultaneously puts pressure on the Nets, but also if you can actually get an agreement for one of these packages with only one FRP (especially if you can get them to concede some protections on the pick), then just go ahead and pull the trigger.

If the Pacers/Jazz are dead set on requiring both FRP’s, then you wait for the Kyrie saga and if/when that is completely removed from the table, you revisit the Indiana/Utah deals and give serious consideration to giving up both picks.

Or, you shock the sports world, trade Lebron, and commit to a full rebuild.

Anything other than running it back with Russ.