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

We shall see what he does next month LT. Brodie is about to ball out..last season was last season.

 

Well I sincerely hope so. But just don't see how all the negative facts about his game he now has going, or not going for him are suddenly going to be reversed, playing as a starter next to LeBron. Unless he's willing to run and cut like a mother for passes to score in close (hopefully unlike much of last year) .... and is willing to set good screens and unlike last year play heads up, non space cadet solid defense on and off the ball. He's not as square peg round holed if he does some coming of the bench, unless LeBron is out injured. Because just no way he suddenly becomes a consistently passable perimeter shooter they won't constantly sag off of.

 

If we’re really that opposed to preserving cap space for next year, I imagine Rob will push for Beasley instead of Conley since he has a team option. Ainge will know that and insist on the second pick.

 

Today...The Lakers are best when Anthony Davis is the best player on the court and the team. Not LeBron. Russ can definitely fit wit AD, I think people are overly concerned with what LeBron needs. He doesn't need much of anything IMO except his chosen wing man to step up and be the monster he envisioned when he pushed for trading for him. It's all about AD bro, even when the subject is Westbrook. I expect these guys to be awesome.

I'm not worried about last season, Vogel got fired and most of that sorry bunch are still looking for work. Russ was excellent in Houston, carried a terrible Washington team to the playoffs. That guy can still ball, everyone will recognize it by November 18th.

 

We aren't making any trade at all with Utah. Watch

 

We don’t need to keep the books open to preserve cap space next summer. All of the Jazz names mentioned have no more than 2 years left and can be moved during the season or in a S&T. Smh if the FO still hasn’t figured this out.

 

No, its not what LeBron needs, it is what the Lakers need to thrive with him and AD.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what that is. Spacing and shooting and perimeter defenders who can at least adequately guard......PERIOD.

Russ doesn't do any of those things well, as a matter of fact he never has been able to. He doesn't create space because he needs the ball in his hands, he is a poor defender and a dreadful shooter. His athleticism allows him to be a penetrator who can make some necessary passes and rebound; but even that isn't what it once was. Under no dreamscape fantasy world is he going to be able to do the things needed and change where he is an actual plus on ANY TEAM that already has a guard controlling the offense (ala, in our case LeBron) and good enough to offset his faults (spacing, shooting, defense). It isn't happening and we don't need mid-November to know this and neither should you.

AD has never been the best player on the team since joining James. Even when AD managed to outscore LBJ by a whopping 2 points in the bubble title playoffs (with 9 more minutes of action), LeBron outrebounded him (226-204) and averaged a near triple double (28/11/9).

No one on here is saying AD isn't the key (I said as much last post), but that is to get us to the playoffs and perhaps a decent seed, nothing more.

The Lakers (not LeBron) are going to have to play good defense and have shooters though if they are going to have any realistic chance of competing for a title AND THAT IS ASIDE FROM a healthy return to form from Davis and both he and James being healthy.

Westbrook can't be a part of that realism....

 

That makes sense but Pelinka seems to have issues making deals. Trust factor in him is an issue.

 

Dude this team has sucked with Lebron as the focal point since he signed here. The only success we have achieved is when AD played with Lebron. It's AD man.. it's time for Anthony to be the best player on this team period, Lebron will be 38 years old soon. The rest of that is blah,blah, blah to me. If your best players are doing their jobs, it creates the spacing for the shooters. The shooters don't make Lebron or AD elite...they are elite with other guys in those roles too. Yeah they have to play D..it's not like they have to be named to some all defensive team, in order for that to happen. The Rockets had a top defense once they decided to go small. With Russell Westbrook.

I know this..the season starts on October 18th...check back to this post by November 18th..we will see who knows what. I'll be here.

 

Conley may be hard to move without taking multiple longer-term deals.

 

i don't think there is a cap space plan, tbh. if there is, fire rob because he actually doesn't understand the cba. people are reading into converting THT to an expiring when i think it was partly another favor to klutch--THT wasn't going to thrive here.

note that we didn't and still haven't given up future picks, though. we're watching mitchell get traded for expirings and picks and thinking maybe hield/turner isn't worth that right now. i get it. the next star on the move may not play for a franchise with a gm that is a sworn enemy.

and given next year's market, i'd be looking to take on salary for russ--especially if i get to keep my picks. as others have said, it's time to make sure the war chest is ready for luka, etc.

all that said, i'd give up one pick if it meant conley and bogdanovic were here to start camp. but this two picks + reaves + whatever for hield/turner stuff can go straight to hell.

 

I totally forgot that Conley's contract is only guaranteed 14.3 million next year. Now, Mike is actually WORTH that. Clarkson's option is 14.26. That's 28.56 for both. With Lebron and AD's 87.3 mil next year and including Christie's guaranteed 1.7 mil and Damien Jones option @ 2.65 mil = 120.21 mil. That would not include a resign on Bogdanovic but the cap will be 133 mil @ 34 years old Bogdonovic HAS to take a big paycut. He takes our MLE for 5.5 and we are at 125.71 and we have 7.29 mil to sign vet mins. That's only 3 vet mins and 10 players total so it may not pan out but at least we won't be far over the cap. Need another 10 mil space to be under. Clarkson could walk and then the whole problem is solved. We lose his cap hold as soon as/if he walks right?

Lebron, AD = 87.3 million
Conley, Clarkson = 28.56 million
Bogdanovich on MLE = 5.5
Christie and Jones (easily moved) 4.3 mil
125.71 total
leaves 7.29 mil to sign vet mins, we don't know the exact cap for 2023 yet, it's projected. It's tight but it could be done.

 

factor in vet min cap holds. the smarter play would be retain enough of the cap holds to get to the cap and have the full non-tax MLE at your disposal.

any cap space plan for next year was dead when lebron signed the extension. we're operating over the cap, and that's the right path.

 

PHUCK Ainge!!!

 

Issue is more about these players who would come (Conley/Turner) are notorious for being unavailable for long stretches of time. Taking a chance on broken players makes this risk worst if it doesn't go our way.