Lakers still need some shooters and some perimeters defenders. It's ridiculous they have been named favourites.
NBA 2019-2020
- Thread starter altodevil
- Start date
Lakers need a team basically. They have no one beyond LeBron, AD and Kuzma. If they really want Butler or Walker, then bar one mid-level exception they will have to fill out the roster with minimum deals.
Clips already at 6-1?
Yes. Presumably favorites to get Kawhi + another free agent.
Knicks future looks terrible indeed. Even RJ Barrett isn’t really so exciting unless he can fix multiple flaws in his game that became apparent during last season. In terms of current team I kind of like Robinson and Knox but neither will probably even be good enough to be a third option on a contender let alone lead a team to anything significant. DSJ I don’t rate and Ntilikina has no value whatsoever after these two seasons, his only asset is his defense and even there he’s just above average not spectacular by any means.
The worst thing they could do now is to throw max deals at players who aren’t worth max, and that’s exactly what I expect them to do. Like crazy contract offers for Julius Randle and a random guard like Ricky Rubio.
The worst thing they could do now is to throw max deals at players who aren’t worth max, and that’s exactly what I expect them to do. Like crazy contract offers for Julius Randle and a random guard like Ricky Rubio.
I really think they won't do that this time. I listen to a lot of NY sports radio, that's what the feeling is there
The Knicks do something smart? 
Exactly.This is why the draft should remain how it is, and not automatically reward failure. It would be a farce to see teams throwing games in latter halves of the season, especially when generational prospects like Zion are exposed to the following draft summer.
Why? He's one of the best contributors to the NBA threads.
Generally yes.
They have to be priced that way because Kawhi might be kingmaker and before the announcement is made the bookies are exposed if they don't shorten odds on Clippers.
Wouldn't they be better just trying to use the cap space to fill out the team with some solid 3&D type of players?
Yes but its the Lakers.
If I were AD, I would stay for 1 year and go back to Pelicans.
I’m actually having a hard time understanding this deal’s details. Protected trades, unprotected trades, waiting till July to sign, the cap space, all of it. Any chance someone can summarize this all like I’m 5? Regardless, I’m personally happy with the trade. Lakers as far as I remember never really “developed” teams from youth.
Lakers sign AD for hart, kuzma, Ingram and three picks including this years number 4. The pelicans can choose which years draft pick they want from the Lakers next seven draft picks.
The deal will be finalised somewhere in July to allow Lakers to sign free agents.
How many they can get with that money? Two decent ones? Maybe three all right player. You are talking Rodney Hood, Reggie Bullock and Darren Collison quality here. Beyond that they have to get minimum salary players.
It’s not like they will be able to sign multiple good players. I would prefer one Kemba Walker over any combo of two from KCP, Hood, Seth Curry, Collison, Bullock etc.
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Also deal is likely to be finalized on July 6th meaning Lakers will have $23.7million of cap space. If they finalized the deal on July 30th, they would have $32.5million cap space. They will be trading AD into that cap space though because they cannot match salaries before July 30 (30-day period for a drafted player needs to end before you can trade him while matching salaries).
Davis could waive his trade kicker which would save them $4million but he’s apparently not willing to do that.
They should be fine until January at which point buyouts will begin and they will be high on the list of players who are having their contracts bought out.
We are hoping one superteam to be disbanded this season and provide some competition, not for another one to be formed at the same time.
That would be a pretty tough nut to crack for any other contender, if it happens.
I can't see how James and AD will fit together.
New Balance turning the hype machine to 11.
Worthy 740
Magic | Worthy | Kareem -> LeBron | Kawhi | AD
Worthy 740
Magic | Worthy | Kareem -> LeBron | Kawhi | AD
Guess James plays mainly as a PG handling the ball most of the time and AD runs the paint. But they would probably better off getting Kyrie if it's between him and Kawhi.
Up to 2 million people expected tomorrow for the parade. Even with 1/2 that it's going to be madness downtown. Gotta leave early if you even wanna have the chance to get to work.
The dumbest part of the Lakers/Pelicans trade, for me, is that they've given up half their team, a #4 overall pick and two more firsts just for a shot to win the championship this year with an extremely underwhelming team.
Anything less than a championship this year and the trade is a complete failure and their starting 5 is still a major work in progress at best, while the bench is absolute shit. IMO they should've just used the #4 to add a guy like Jarrett Culver (or even Darius Garland if they really weren't high on Lonzo) and sign AD for free next year. I know projecting rookies is nowhere near a science, but I like something like Ball/Culver/Kuzma/Lebron/AD a lot better than anything they'll put out this year.
Anything less than a championship this year and the trade is a complete failure and their starting 5 is still a major work in progress at best, while the bench is absolute shit. IMO they should've just used the #4 to add a guy like Jarrett Culver (or even Darius Garland if they really weren't high on Lonzo) and sign AD for free next year. I know projecting rookies is nowhere near a science, but I like something like Ball/Culver/Kuzma/Lebron/AD a lot better than anything they'll put out this year.
I honestly think that there's a chance that the Lakers might still miss the playoffs next season.
There's not going to be much depth in the team and they'll suffer when AD goes on his usual 10 games injury break throughout the season.
LeBron's aging and he can't be counted on to play all 82 games. They'll drop games whenever either of them have to rest and there's also no guarantee that they'll win all the games that both of them are lined up. Just need a bit of bad luck and they're out of the playoffs with how tight the West is.
There's not going to be much depth in the team and they'll suffer when AD goes on his usual 10 games injury break throughout the season.
LeBron's aging and he can't be counted on to play all 82 games. They'll drop games whenever either of them have to rest and there's also no guarantee that they'll win all the games that both of them are lined up. Just need a bit of bad luck and they're out of the playoffs with how tight the West is.
Their window to win with LeBron is maximum the next three years, they didn’t want to sacrifice another year to maybe get a shot at AD next year.
In a way it’s good they cannot sign a max free agent anymore because if they have a 4-year max to someone like Kemba or Butler who are around 30 they would have limited their options going forward heavily. It’s basically said and done they will not make any big trades for the next 7 years as they don’t control their picks until 2025.
I love listening to Nate Duncan’s podcast but their scouting reports are just so damning on everyone
Listened to Coby White report now. Sounds like a ridiculously terrible player. Probably shouldn’t be in the league at all, only flaws.
Honestly I’m not listening to these reports anymore. It’s depressing and makes me lose interest in draft to hear them tell me every single player is awful.
They will be a top 3 seed in the West, unless they both miss 20+ games each.
But there’s a chance like you say because the depth is just not there and will not be there.
Alley oops galore for AD
Nah, they'll get to the PO but IMO they won't win even the conference finals. Even with AD their team isn't good enough considering who they parted with.
Can see it working, but that won't be enough to win the championship. The Dubs will be a huge question mark with those injuries next year. Can't see them finishing above Houston, Clippers or Denver. They will be right up the 3rd/5th in the conference or thereabouts.
Depth is really not there and LeBron will be 35 next year. He was sidelined for more than 20 games this season mostly to that groin injury and only played 55 in total.
Even if one of them is out for 20+ games they are toast.
People are so quick to write LeBron off just because he had his first season in yonks where he missed more than just a few games. This guy is still one of the, if not the best basketball players in the world and we just brought in another top 5 player. Yes we could miss the playoffs if both of them miss a portion of the season but same could be said for any other team in the league, e.g. Rockets if Paul/Harden are out, Raptors if Leonard/Lowry are out, ... Those teams might be a bit more well-rounded but every team is quite fecked if their superstar, let alone two of them, miss a large amount of games.
I get that, but no matter which way you slice it, next year is probably the least likely of the next three years to mount a real challenge. I think had they waited another year, they'd have a much better shot the next two years if they'd kept the picks and players and still ended up with AD. It was obvious from the beginning LA was the only place he wanted to be.
Why? With Golden State's issues the West is open for the Lakers.