Aloha,
There is an abundance of Laker centric trade speculation involving all over the web. I have seen too many weird trades so I will never say never but I think the chances of the Lakers landing a star in a trade are slim to none with our limited trade assets. I never turn to the trade machine first. The first things I do in looking into a trade is try and put myself in the shoes of the other teams GM.
First there are the rebuilding teams with a star. The Pistons have Grant for instance. A favorite target for Laker scribes. If I were the GM I would want drafts picks and young players. The Lakers are short on both. 2027 is the next time we can trade a 1st rounder. I’m asking myself, is my job secure enough to wait 5 years for a draft pick pay off? As for young players we only have two under contract beyond this year. THT is inconsistent and Austin’s sample size is small. Monk has shown promise but he’s a free agent. He spent 4 years in a rebuild and took less money to sign with a contender. If I’m the GM, I’m asking myself, what are the odds that he resigns for another 3 years of rebuild. Slim to none. And Nunn is 26, young by Lakers standards but old for a rebuild. Plus there is the whole resigning issue. I read that Grants injury might lower the asking price. But GM Michael knows that he is under contract and can be traded later if I don’t receive an offer I like.
Now there is also chatter about Turner and the Pacers. I have read that the Pacer are floating names out there to rebuild but I’ve also heard they may just want to upgrade to try to compete for a playoff spot. If they are looking to rebuild, then everything I wrote about the Pistons applies to Indy. If they are looking to upgrade, is THT a win now player? They already have Brogdon and Holiday at PG, would they even be interested in Nunn? As a matter of fact they have a lot of guards. How would more help?
Then there is trading Russ. There are not many situations where he helps a team, that can send back enough salary with players we would want. The only team that really fits the bill is the 76ers. The bad thing is, they have a list of 30 players and Russ isn’t on it. And I doubt they would want any of our other players we could throw in because of salary matching. The only way I see we could trade Westbrook to them is in a 3 way trade with another team. The kings for instance has shown interest in Simmons. We trade Russ to the 76ers, the Kings send the 76ers 1st rounders and the Kings send us say, Fox and Barnes. That would work with the Pistons as well. They get Simmons, we get Grant. There are more possibilities in a 3 way then there is a straight swap. As far as the Rich Paul factor getting him to the Lakers, you can forget that. Ben is under contract for 4 years. Rich as zero leverage. The 76ers will trade him whoever they want.
There may be a few small trades available. A Reddish for Nunn trade with the Hawks would benefit both teams but I’m afraid the chances of a blockbuster trade are slim to Nunn. 🙂
Add in the fact that Nunn has yet to play and it’s an even thornier issue. I’m calling buyout market, at best.
LMAO. The GHE version of the NBA draft.
I have to respectfully disagree with both you and Jamie, Michael. While it won’t be easy, I do see some legitimate opportunities for the Lakers to land Ben Simmons and/or Myles Turner. It may be wishful thinking that we could land both of them but I think there’s a good chance we could end up landing one of them.
First, I think Lakers fans always underestimate what their trading chips are worth. There’s a clear understanding and respect for the job the Lakers’ scouting department has done drafting and finding undrafted players who have NBA potential. Just look at all of the talented young former Lakers players around the league.
Second, other teams understand how difficult it is for role players to fit into a lineup with LeBron, AD, and Russ. They know the fit is very difficult and there will be teams who see potential jewels in talented young players like THT, Nunn, Monk, and Reaves.
Third, Russell Westbrook is playing well and there are situations where he can be the difference maker for a team like the Sixers or Celtics or Pacers or Pelicans. Most importantly, he opens the door to multiple team trades that are easier to get to work than staight trades between two teams.
Slim to Nunn should be changed to difficult but possible.
Difficult and improbable: Nunn-yet to play so why would a team gamble away a player who can suit up? Nunn’s name floats around as much as THT and yet nobody really seems to want address the “is he even going to play?” issue. Add in that the biggest raise he can get from the team he’s traded to is 20% and it’s even harder to see good talent shuttled out the door for him. THT is a legit prospect that might blossom in a different environment. Or he might end up like Kuzma 2.0 and turn out exactly what he looks like now: an un-even role-player who never quite manages the next step. Russ’s deal, once he (likely) opts in will have a lot more value after the season ends. Lastly I think Michael’s pint about a GM waiting 5 years for a pick to be useful is astute. While not worth nothing it’s not as valuable as it will be in a season or three. None of the above even takes into account that Rob has not made one in-season trade as a GM yet. While curious and likely a streak that ends eventually it makes me think Rob values the job-season growth more than maybe we give him credit for. The obvious argument to that is “well what about the Drummond debacle?” To which there is no satisfactory answer. That was a botch job.
With all due respect, Jamie, you’re taking a way too much of a gloom and doom approach to the value of our trading chips. THT just turned 21 and has great potential, especially to a team that has shooting and wants a young player with all-star potential at both ends of the court.
Same with Nunn, who is only 26-years old and in his 3rd NBA season. And yes, he only makes $5 million and doesn’t bring Bird Rights so would be best traded to a team with cap space to sign him to whatever deal it takes if he has a great second half of the season. There has also been no talk of his injury being career or season threatening. You’re starting to reach for reasons why he’s not a good trade asset.
I guess it’s just human nature that you think any trade proposed to help the Lakers won’t work because nobody wants the chips we have. Did you have the same attitude when we were trying to trade for Anthony Davis? Nobody wants Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, or the baby Lakers. I thought differently then and we turned that into AD. I think we can do the same with Russ, THT and Nunn.
I would hope at least that you would be rooting that we make great trade rather than moping and complaining about how screwed we are since this is the team we’re going to go down with. We’re the Lakers and I think we’re better than that. Leave that shit for the Flippers fans.
Just see a lot of factors working against us. I sure don’t see “All Star” potential when it. Ones to Talen, as I’ve been saying Nunn hasn’t played and there will be hurdles for any team to keep him past the season so you’re basically getting a couple months of guys who has yet to practice let alone play, and the pick isn’t worth much if one is being honest. It’ll be worth more in a couple seasons. It’s not that I’m hoping fir anything, just taking the same realistic approach to the situation I always do which, by the way, has not once resulted in me predicting a 70+ win season, a #1 seed or any other fly by night dream scenarios others invest time in. We don’t have a great platform to operate from on any front. Not the trade market, not the time front, not the internal solutions hope. We desperately need AD to miss as few games as possible and the handful of other teams struggling around the .500 mark to keep in struggling while we get healthy. It’s a question of when, not if, that this comes together as-is in my opinion so, honestly, I’m not even predicting a “big trade” of any kind whatsoever and certainly not before 1/15/2022.
Well, I always operate from a fan’s point of view during trade periods. So I’m proposing different strategies and targets to upgrade the team in obvious areas.
That’s totally different from predicting what’s realistically most likely to happen. I mean that formula only works for me when you’re always winning.
Anyway, yes, I do often predict great things to happen for the Lakers and through my lifetime I’ve been right an awful lot of the time. And wrong more often than not but that’s how it goes with predictions that are really wishes.
Anyway, I’ll keep highlighting the silver linings and you can keep casting the dark shadows. In the end, we both want the same thing: Lakers wins!
Lol, you did the same thing when Oladipo had yet to play: concocted epic scenarios by which we traded people who actually can play for him. It’s been half a decade of Myles Turner trades almost. You’ve traded fir just about every three point shooter in the league, most of whom have actually ended up in our team only for you to almost instantly write them off and find another perfect plug and play option when pro sports ain’t anything close to plug and play. So, if you don’t mind, forgive me if I don’t take every single trade proposal seriously because the volume is simply too high for me to do so. Especially when one “future All Star” trading chip still can’t even be traded for over 2 weeks and we should, ohhh I don’t know, see if his play improves? Or when/if Nunn takes the floor? Or even take the time waiting for AD to get back prior to the trade deadline to see if trading Russ makes sense given that the trio has okayed less than 3 games worth together. Lest we forget, but hell I’ll bring it up again, Rob has never made an in-season trade to date. Not for anyone. Many. Factors. Working. Against.
Hell, literally 2 days ago when I mildly critiqued THT’s game YOU called him a bust!!! Lol… So now, because of your infatuation with trading players, we should all take the mountain of trades you propose super duper seriously? C’mon man. Nobody trading for a bust so figure out what you’re talking about and then come calling dude.
LOL. Guilty as charged.
Wow I didn’t mean to start an argument. Lol. I like THT’s potential. We’ve seen flashes of it. He’s missed a lot of time due to injury and Covid so it’s been a rough start. That said a team is not going to trade a star player to us with THT as the center piece of that trade. THT is more of a secondary piece at this point. He might even work If we had more draft assets to offer. We don’t. And then there are guys like Malik and Nunn that could walk this summer. There would be a high possibility of that. A rebuild in a small market isn’t that appealing for a player. And with Nunn is his age. The Pistons are considering trading Grant because at 27 he doesn’t fit their other players time line. Nunn is 26. Young for the Lakers old for a rebuild.
LOL. Let’s see what happens. I hope for the Lakers sake that I’m right and you’re wrong. The Lakers need more than just getting to healthy to win a championship this season. They need two new starters at the least, although Reaves could be one.
The Lakers have two paths to rebuilding their starting lineup. Totally committing to small ball with AD at the five, which means going after a bigger wing like Jerami Grant, Harrison Barnes, or Cam Reddish, or going after a legitimate starting center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood so
AD can play his preferred four and Frank his preferred two bigs.
And I still contend on the side there will be a chance Philly cannot get anything better than Russ and may bend and offer Ben and filler to the Lakers for Russ. Don’t underestimate what a coup it would be for Rich Paul to get Ben Simmons to LA in a Klutch/Lakers Superstar Big Three. No better situation to redeem his brand and help LeBron’s and AD’s too.
@michael “Wow, I didn’t mean to start an argument. LOL.” There you have it, Michael. I have always liked the passion both Tom and Jamie exhibit on the blog. That’s what makes it lively. Between the two of them is like watching an episode of ESPN’s First Take. I mean, who needs ESPN when we have the two best going at it toe to toe? In fact, you could be a good moderator. You got my vote on that. LOL!
Tom was worried about all the trades he wouldn’t be able to imagine all the way back when Caruso signed with Chicago. You can go back and see us roast him about in the LFB podcast.
Thanks buba, just trying to keep LT from veering wildly between “BUST” and “ All Star potential”. Gotta be some kind of middle ground…I dunno, maybe something like, oh I dunno, solid role-player?