We definitely need a new title for this thread. “He’s still refusing to give AD what he wants” “He’s pretending to do his job” “He’s still complaining that his job has become really hard”
I honestly don’t think he’s capable anymore after the hole he dug himself into. He doesn’t need to even make the big splashy move, but maybe he feels like he does? There was that statement which came from the FO last week which stated that they want to “wait and see if this team is even worth making a trade for.” I think it was Trevor Lane who said that Rob is paralyzed by the fear of doing another Westbrick-like deal in which he gives away one or two of the firsts and it not working out. I understand this line of thinking, but he has zero excuses again, like last summer, to not pull off a trade that doesn’t require either of the firsts. I think it’s best for our collective mental health to expect nothing under the Laker Tree this year and be pleasantly surprised if a great gift does show up.
do you think the guys who can fix it are available? for example, it sounds like we're maybe targeting cam johnson now. he's a very good, semi-young player on a good contract, so sure! he's worth 2 firsts in a vacuum, imo. maybe a bit more for the right team. but let's say we moved dlo/jhs/2 1sts for him...are we a contender? is he good enough that we won't be wishing we controlled those firsts 5 years from now (in 2029, when he's 35 years old and has probably retired or is being overpaid substantially)? is what we need another offense-first player? anyway, i keep going back to the list of guys rumored to be available, and every time the only thing i come up with that i really like is trying to snag nick richards or dayron sharpe by themselves in small deals (using jhs and a vet min corpse plus some seconds or a heavily protected swap). are there any unmentioned candidates that rob might unearth?
That's too much for Cam Johnson, IMO. Most would disagree with me, but I'm aiming for BI (as a third star) with something like what Vinay said on the Lakers detail pod with Raj: Russell, Rui, JHS, and a first. I may try to buy low on Bruce Brown (know he hasn't played, but I think it's worth a gamble), and Dorian Finney for something like 2-3 seconds and maybe Gabe.
Definitely. I was looking at the standings last night, and I think with this roster we could stay in the top 6-7, which is fine. Definitely need Jaxson Hayes back and another big. Need another two way wing. If we're aiming for a Bruce Brown or DFS, it would be a heck of a lot better if we could start one of those two and have Max come in right after or play them together flying around the perimeter and not having an offensive liability on the floor in Cam. Cam would still get mins, but I think they would be limited.
too much for us to pay, because he's not a fit for our needs, imo. but not too much on the market. i'd be very tempted here, but if ingram really wants that 50 million per...i just don't know, man. that could be the gift that keeps on taking. also, not a defender. i really don't think we need to spending assets on non-defenders anymore. it's hard to buy-low on a guy making that much money. also, as an expiring, toronto may also see his contract as ballast to bring in an impact player for them (e.g., that expiring eats up a good chunk of say, brandon ingram's contract incoming). so what's buying low? dlo/jhs/wood or lewis? is jhs enough for toronto to feel like they "got something"? is bruce brown still alive? i'm not positive that DFS is an upgrade on the current version of gabe, tbh. he's kind of sf gabe. he's lost a step athletically from his peak, which is what everyone seems to think is his current playing level. anyway, this is may point--you've named the same guys we've all been naming. none of them really excite me. i'm hoping rob has some other idea we haven't considered, because the ones i have aren't the kind i care to do.
i think max--or someone we trade for who's even better than max defensively (thybulle?)--needs to be in that starting backcourt, or we're dead. brown and DFS can't chase guards. they're sf/pf defenders, and neither is particularly athletic.
I like Johnson a lot but not just from his play on the court. I think he can handle all that comes with being a Laker which is the real key to any move IMO. I also think he’s a guy we would be able to move later on down the road if things don’t pan out which lessens concerns about giving up firsts for me. I think you can get a pretty nice set of picks for him and AD. So I would make your deal for him @abeer3 and see what big man I can still pull off with what we’ve got left. The road to a title for us is just going to be tough. I don’t see moves that clearly get it done. But I do think we can firmly put ourselves in the mix with some trades to bring in size and guys who hopefully won’t wilt under playoff pressure.
Yeah, that would help a lot. Either way, I'm all for buying low or Brown or going for DFS. That should solve the wing depth problem. I'm just glad Max is working out. He's also 21 and could play 30 mins a night with no issues.
You like that Johnson that much? The analytics seem to love him offensively. I'm just not sold on giving up two picks for him. You might convince me that a first-round protected might be worth it. Plus, there's a little salary gymnastics.
