**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins

[pdino]

I don’t think Hou is close at all, and if they traded for AD it would most like take all their good players. Orlando would be an interesting fit but I don’t think they quite have the guard play needed to win multiple playoff rounds. Not sure they’d be a “win now” team either. No team is going to give up the future assets it would take to trade for AD just for two years of fun.

One thing to sign a guy like PG with cap space but it’s a totally different thing when the team has to be willing to mortgage part of their future to trade for old LeBron… don’t see it happening.

Houston top 3 record in all NBA, not about what we think, about what they think. Just would want their young guys and expirings since its hypothetically a rebuild: some combination of Jabari smith, Amen Thompson, Reed shepherd, Tari Eason and picks. Assuming we wouldn’t get all that— They’d still have whatever remaining +: Sengun, Jalen Green, FVV, Dillon Brooks, AD
Orlando-with Suggs, Banchero, Franz, AD, Jon Isaac would be formidable in the east, could see them beat everyone but Boston, maybe Cleveland. That hypothetical Orlando team beats Knicks and Bucks imo.

Suns just mortgaged their future giving up all their picks for Beal, old Lebron way better than him.

​

Again, don’t think it’s going to happen, but both are doable

 

[grittyman]

Houston top 3 record in all NBA, not about what we think, about what they think. Just would want their young guys and expirings since its hypothetically a rebuild: some combination of Jabari smith, Amen Thompson, Reed shepherd, Tari Eason and picks. Assuming we wouldn’t get all that— They’d still have whatever remaining +: Sengun, Jalen Green, FVV, Dillon Brooks, AD

Uh yeah they’re not trading Thompson, probably not Eason either. Best Hou might offer would probably be Smith and some filler contracts… no thanks.

Orlando-with Suggs, Banchero, Franz, AD, Jon Isaac would be formidable in the east, could see them beat everyone but Boston, maybe Cleveland.

And who exactly would the Lakers be getting back in return that makes a deal with Orlando make sense?

Just because trades work under the cap and are doable doesn’t mean they make enough sense for both teams to agree to trade with each other.

 

[tupac003]

Some good news

 

[pdino]

Uh yeah they’re not trading Thompson, probably not Eason either. Best Hou might offer would probably be Smith and some filler contracts… no thanks.


And who exactly would the Lakers be getting back in return that makes a deal with Orlando make sense?

Just because trades work under the cap and are doable doesn’t mean they make enough sense for both teams to agree to trade with each other.

I’ll agree to disagree that AD/Bron are impossible to trade for rebuilding pieces and leave it at that

 

[grittyman]

Lmao I mean the man with a no trade clause ain’t going to a rebuilding situation… but sure we can agree to disagree on AD.

I can see it once Bron is gone but those two are a packaged deal imo

 

[tay1]

A rebuilding situation with Jeannie present is an ongoing process. We will have to suck for like 10 years before she's forced to sell after we endure years and years of terrible decisions.

 

[CP1708]

IF.

I say IFFFFFF Bron wanted one last chance at a title, he could probably agree to Milwaukee, Dallas, OKC, Clev (lol), Boston (but that's out cuz, Boston) and maybe Denver. (Clippers, maybe?)

I'm not saying he would, will, or wants to.

I'm sayin those would be the teams that qualify, minus Boston. (Dallas might be a stretch, but Kyrie)
Golden State prolly not an option anymore cuz they may not have another gear to get to.

AD, same list + Houston, Memphis, Orlando, Minny. Teams that have a young star or two. Atlanta??? He obviously has more in his tank beyond 2025 than Bron does. Ant + AD or Ja + AD could be fun in 2026 etc.

Now, you'd have to eliminate the teams that can't math it. (3-4 team deals would likely be needed) Not sure how many would be left.

And this is all IF Bron even cares about one last shot. He may not. He may be content playin with his son, and in the city of LA for his business stuff. (Really the only reason I added Clippers to the list)

Will they have the convo? Dunno. Probably not. But if they aren't legit trying to win it this year, and likely aren't next year either, we just holdin 90+ mil this year and 100+ mil next year to be mediocre? Why not be mediocre without those huge salaries + some extra picks?

Have the discussion. Let LeBron have his choice of options. If he chooses to stay.......well.......mediocrity it is.

 

[tay1]

Once he leaves, well.......mediocrity it is.

 

[frink85]

Muscala was trash but yall forget that Zubac couldn’t catch a post entry pass to save his life. Always lost on office but serviceable defense. Definitely got his glow up with LAC though.

 

[CP1708]

Once he leaves, well.......mediocrity it is.

But you'd have cap space and some extra picks.

(That's assuming you move AD)

 

[tupac003]

Once he leaves, well.......mediocrity it is.

If you think about it...besides 2020, we have been a play in team the entire time.

Had one nice playoffs run after the Russ trade but besides that, for the Lakers standard we have already been stuck in mediocrity.

 

[grittyman]

Once he leaves, well.......mediocrity it is.

Once Bron and AD are gone it’s bottom of the league bad until the team is able to draft young talent AND those guys develop into the type of players that translate into winning basketball.

The rebuild is coming eventually, I’m just not in any hurry to get there.

 

[king j]

 

[pmatic]

Sent the Bat signal to Rob.

 

[darthska]

They worded this weird.
On offense, when post help comes, we counter it 38% of the time.
And when a defender drops back to prevent penetration, only 33% of the sets we run against that are actually designed to beat that drop.
#HelpAD

 

[tay1]

Once Bron and AD are gone it’s bottom of the league bad until the team is able to draft young talent AND those guys develop into the type of players that translate into winning basketball.

The rebuild is coming eventually, I’m just not in any hurry to get there.

It’s gonna be signing Luol Deng, Mozgov, signing stars out of their prime bad. It’s gonna be dark times ahead.

 

[tay1]

Sent the Bat signal to Rob.

What happened to the couple weeks before a trade is made comment?

 

[grittyman]

It’s gonna be signing Luol Deng, Mozgov, signing stars out of their prime bad. It’s gonna be dark times ahead.

Yeah.

You gotta spend the money somehow so I could see slightly overpaying some role players but hopefully at least it will be someone that they’d be able to trade to a contender for future assets.

 

[pmatic]

Or they could do what they did before splurging on Deng/Mozzy and just take on bad contracts with draft picks.

 

[Korofi]

Post Lebron LA will get Wemby

 

[Hijo Del Promo]

Post Lebron LA will get Wemby

Knowing us we gonna get Bol Bol i sread for the cheap.

 

[grittyman]

Wonder who AD is talking about here? Saw him yelling at Max last night, but that was on offense.

 

[pmatic]

Unlikely, but if the Warriors trade for Vucevic by trading Looney, maybe he gets bought out by the Bulls and is a free agent. He would have value as a post defender and rebounder.

Then the Lakers could focus on a guard in the trade market.

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

Wonder who AD is talking about here? Saw him yelling at Max last night, but that was on offense.

Obviously it’s Rui

 

[Public Enemy]

It's no secret Rui picked up basketball at age 14, in 2012. A lot of yall have been on this site longer. I feel like he doesn't have the man-hours in the game to have that feel for where people are and what's happening on the court. It's a testament to how good he is as an iso scorer that he's mostly a starter on an NBA team.

But he just has not yet developed that sense of what's happening and who is going where at any moment. That natural rhythm of basketball. And on top of that he missed a good chunk of time with the Wizards so he's got like a dozen years of experience at basketball total in his lifetime.

Add to that you can bet dollars to donuts the Wizards coaches did nothing to help him. Not sure what Lakers coaches have done with him but he needs a year of just nothing but defense.