Aloha,
I’m not sure if I want Kyrie. Chaos has followed him every where he has gone. And he has missed considerable time due to injury starting in college all the way through his pro career. He has also missed considerable amount of playing time because he is a flake.
Beyond that we would again be filling out a roster next year with minimum salary guys. There are other routes that would give us a shot and give us quality players for next year. We have been talking to both the Jazz and the Hornets. They have something in common that may not require unprotected firsts. They both have salaries they want to dump. I’m also looking at the Raptors.
The Lakers could send Russ and a protected to the Jazz for Conley, Beasley and olynyk. The Raptors are in desperate need of a center. We could send Olynyk, a protected first and Lonnie to the Raptors for Trent Jr. Lonnie is a good young player that would help their rotation considering they need 3 point shooting. That would give us two solid young players for the present as well as the future. And Conley still is pretty good. We have no point guards under contract next year. We could keep him or use his salary in a trade.
A similar deal could be worked out with the Hornets with some combination of Rozier, Plumlee, Washington or Ubre. Although sending Plumlee to the Raptors might require an unprotected first. And we would still have PatBev and 2nds to use for one more upgrade.
I would much rather see a deal like this as opposed to a Kyrie deal. I would prefer the Jazz deal because I’m not sold on Rozier for 3 more years. Our rotation would look like this
Conley PG
Trent Jr SG
AD C
LeBron PF
Rui SF
Bench
Beasley
Austin
Dennis
Troy
Thomas
Gabriel
I think that line up could make as much noise in the playoffs as a Kyrie, Harris combo would if not more, and without the risk. Heck do we know if Kyrie would even resign with us? You just can’t count on anything from him. Trent Jr is a Klutch client so I’m sure he would. Anyway I hope the Lakers are treating all options equally and not fixated on Kyrie. We could end up with nothing if they are.
Looks like Both Kyrie and Russ are out today. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
HUGE RISK BUT EVEN BIGGER REWARD!
Personally, I would prefer to trade for Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent, Jr. with a side of Cam Reddish and Nerlens Noel for the bench than going all-in on Kyrie and Joe with Jeanie and Rob dumping Christie, Reaves, Bryant, and anybody making more than the minimum just to lower the exorbitant luxury taxes.
Seriously, there are even pathways with FVV and GTJ where we could be hardcapped, avoid the tax entirely, and even get the NTMLE and BAE to build a versatile and deep bench. Kyrie is even more expensive than Russ so the pressure will be even greater to avoid paying taxes. Russ is not the only reason Superstar Big Threes don’t work. It’s also about how do you build a roster.
Unfortunately, we both know the Lakers are going to want to trade for Kyrie, will gamble both picks that he will be a good boy the rest of the year and then sign a long-term extension next summer as his reward. And I’m sure Kyrie will be a perfect gentlemen the rest of the year. And we will win #18, which will be enough to cover the inevitable chaos that will eventually come.
For me, this is like Buddy Hield deja vu. Last summer, I was thrilled we were going to trade for Buddy, was initially against the Russ trade, and then jumped aboard as a loyal Lakers fan. That’s how I feel this time around. No doubt I can write lots about the upside the LeBron, AD, and Kyrie give the Lakers.
What I would like to see from the Lakers and Kyrie would be for them to agree to give him a 1+1 extension right after the trade to lock Kyrie up for at least the rest of this year and next year and to sync his contracts with LeBron and AD going forward. Two championship shots is a fair price for our two first round picks.
Finally, I’m not opposed to somehow including Ben Simmons in the trade if the Nets will accept just one draft pick. I love the idea of Simmons as the Lakers’ point center with Kyrie as their point guard. Simmons as center wouldn’t have to shoot. Just pass, rebound, and defend. That’s my preferred Kyrie trade too.
I also think Mike Conley could be a good short-term fit at ooint guard. He can shoot and has a great assists-to-turnover ratio. If the Lakers cannot get Kyrie Irving or Fred VanVleet, Mike would be my third option.
You won’t get both Fred and Trent Jr. The Raptors have clearly stated that they value players over picks. That’s why the Knicks have the best chance at landing a Raptor, even OG. That’s why I looked for a way to give them players of need. They need a center and Lonnie can replace Trent Jr in the rotation. If one pays attention to what the Raptors are requiring in trades, then finding quality players to send them is our best chance.
Kelly Olynyk and Kelly Oubre – two players I have always wanted in a Lakers uniform.