Aloha,
The news coming out of the Lakers camp is sound. It makes perfect sense to look for trades that will make them competitive for the next 3 years. Unfortunately it’s for the wrong reason. First, thinking we can land a super star this summer for what we have to offer is boneheaded. If LeBron falls for that he isn’t as bright as I think he is.
Now let’s assume Robb does pull a rabbit out of hat and secures a superstar. Will that make us true contenders? Hardly. Three superstars and a collection of minimum contract guys year in and year out won’t cut it. A team needs a strong supporting cast and some semblance of continuity to win a championship. Especially if your superstars are as fragile as AD and LeBron. Oh by the way the article mentioned Lillard and Beal, both of which are as fragile as our stars.
For me the perfect trade would be for a 3 and D wing with size under a reasonable contract. Kuz would be a good example of that. His cap hold would still allow us to add around 20 mil in free agents.
My perfect trade would be for OG Anunoby. His salary will be around 18 mil next year, allowing us to add a couple of decent free agents. Although the way he is playing he is probably out of our price range, even with both picks, which I would give up for him.
We could added several quality free agents this summer with our cap space. The worst thing we could do from a team building standpoint would be to bring back contracts for players that wouldn’t really make a difference. I would love to win another ring before LeBron leaves but the wrong trade could end any chance of that.
Aloha, Michael,
I agree with you that it’s foolish for the Lakers to pursue a third superstar. Not only does that make it near impossible to build a deep and talented roster but, even with three draft picks to offer on Draft Day, the Lakers don’t have the trade capital to match what other teams could offer for LaVine or Beal.
On the other hand, I think the Lakers should have excellent trade opportunities as we get closer to the trade deadline. The big difference is we’re past the half-way point, which means teams taking on Russell Westbrook’s contract only have to cover half of his $47 million expiring contract. While teams may have wanted one pick to take on Russ’ full contract last summer, there should be no reason now for teams to expect compensation for just taking on the $27.5 million for the half of year left.
Basically, the Lakers can offer two packages: one that includes Westbrook Jones, and one pick and one that includes $24.7 million in expiring contracts of Beverley, Walker, Nunn, and Toscano-Anderson. Each of these trades should include just one unprotected first round draft pick. They may need to add a young player like Reaves or Christie or additional second round picks but if they make the picks unprotected, they should be able to rebuild the roster to championship caliber.
Let us remember LBJ brought us a TITLE 2020 after 10 years of nothing, but watching Dear Kobe! Just like he said he would, same for Cavs and Heat.