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Lakers Fast Break- What To Look For This Exhibition Season! with Joe Soro!

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JDZbRTxhwEod2IN6cGNAH

After working out this past weekend at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, the exhibition season is now upon us as the Lakers get back onto the court in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. But what should Laker fans be looking at as a “precursor” to the regular season? Are there any starting positions still up for grabs? Who could crack the rotation? Find out as Joe Soro from lakersball.com and Gerald from the Pop Culture Cosmos get together once again and share their thoughts as basketball returns for Laker fans this week on the Lakers Fast Break podcast!

Please Like, Share, and Subscribe to our channel and our social media @lakersfastbreak on Twitter. If you have questions for us give us a shout-out on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook, or send us your thoughts to lakersfastbreak@yahoo.com.

Gear up with your favorite Lakers Fast Break shirts and gifts in our Pop Culture Cosmos TeePublic store at https://www.teepublic.com/user/pop-culture-cosmos

Presented by our friends at the Hoop Heads Podcast Network, NBA Draft Junkies, lakerholics.com, lakersball.com, Pop Culture Cosmos, Inside Sports Fantasy Football, Vampires and Vitae, the novel Congratulations, You Suck (available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble), The Happy Hoarder, and Retro City Games!

Ranking the Lakers’ Three Options for Resolving Russell Westbrook Dilemma

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If we’re to believe what we’re hearing online, the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to decide between going all-in this summer to build a legitimate championship contender or holding onto assets for a mega next summer.

Realistically, what the Lakers are trying to decide is whether sacrificing a long shot chance to win a championship this season would better enable them to make a series of transformative blockbuster moves next summer. Behind the scenes, it appears some in the Lakers’ front office believe they could have a unique opportunity for a superstar reload next summer with $35 million in cap space and three first round picks available to trade.

The Lakers’ challenge is they just signed LeBron James to a 1+1 extension with the ultimate goal of his retiring in purple and gold. It’s doubtful that 37-year old James would approve of the Lakers not trading their two picks. Finally, the last straw suggesting that the Lakers will ultimately give up the two picks and trade Westbrook was the recent signing of long-time Westbrook nemesis Patrick Beverley, thus giving L.A. four point guards.

Are the Lakers crazy for considering sacrificing this season’s championship window to position themselves for a blockbuster next summer where they sign Kyrie Irving and a juggernaut roster and launch their next dynasty? Alternatively, are the alleged limits the Lakers seem to be putting on every Russell Westbrook trade just a smokescreen and positioning by L.A. to convince trading partners they aren’t really desperate to trade Russ?

Let’s check the pros and cons and rank the Lakers’ three options to resolve the Westbrook situation: trade before the start of the season, trade before the midseason deadline, and keep all season and let contract expire.

1. Trade Westbrook Before Start of Training Camp

While trading Westbrook before the start of training camp could still happen, the Lakers’ current position is they prefer to keep him rather than give up both of their available first round picks to move him via trade.

While some in the Lakers’ front office are intrigued with the idea of just keeping Russ for the season and letting his $47 million contract expire, everything else that’s happening is screaming to trade Russell Westbrook. The current roster does not have sufficient 3-point shooting, wing size behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, or experience at the starting center position with the unproven Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones. 

Additionally, the Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley and signed free agent Dennis Schroeder, giving them four point guards. No way L.A. goes into the season with Westbrook, Schroeder, Beverley, and Nunn all on their roster. Strategically, the Lakers have already replaced Russell Westbrook as their starting point guard, leaving Russ in the very uncomfortably position of having to come into camp fighting to start or even make the rotation,

Realistically, the Los Angeles Lakers #1 priority should be to trade Russell Westbrook and picks for two proven quality starter players, even if it costs them both of their available first round draft picks without any protection. They should try to get the Pacers or Jazz to agree to one pick plus a pick swap as having an available pick at the deadline and two picks next summer could be critical if a key player becomes available via trade.

The Lakers cannot risk a second straight disastrous season and, as Jeanie says, the Lakers never tank. Thus, Pelinka needs to trade Westbrook to the Pacers or Jazz for multiple rotation players even if it costs both picks.

2. Trade Westbrook Before Midseason Trade Deadline

Should the Lakers pass on trading Russ before camp, they’ll get a second chance to move him midseason. The only question is whether there will be anything left to save of the season by the time L.A. decides to trade him.

Key dates are December 15th, when recently signed players can be traded, and February 9th, the midseason trade deadline. The Lakers will have played 28 total games as of December 15th and 56 games as of February 9th. That means 34% of the season will be over by December 15 when most players will be able to be traded and 68% of the season will be over by the February 9th trade deadline. Saving season goes from hard to harder.

The risks of waiting until midseason to trade Westbrook are significant. Most teams are not going to want to see what they have before making a trade, which means a trade is unlikely until a third of the season is over. Wait until the trade deadline and then two-thirds of the season is over. Deciding not to trade Westbrook before camp to possibly save one or even two draft picks at the cost of almost certainly tanking the season is dumb.

Once the Lakers commit to bringing Westbrook back, they also commit to trading him before the deadline because otherwise James and Davis will be their only tradeable contracts next summer if they let Russ’ contract expire.
Failing to trade Westbrook at the deadline would leave the Lakers with $35 million in potential cap space for free agents but no tradeable contracts other than LeBron or AD to combine with their three first round picks.

Once the Lakers committed to bring Russell Westbrook back, they also committed to trading him at the deadline for the players with multiple-year contracts that will be their trading chips for a mega trade next summer. 

3. Keep Westbrook All Season and Let Contract Expire

Realistically, the only way the Lakers would have kept Russ for the full season would have been if new head coach Darvin Ham had figured out how to make him and the crazy roster work so they were in contention.

Once the fantasy of Russell Westbrook changing his spots and suddenly improving his shot selection and individual defense has been put to bed, there’s just no scenario where Russ finishes the year in purple and gold. Were that to happen, Russ would be an unrestricted free agent and the Lakers would have $25–35 million in cap space, three first round picks, but no tradeable players under contract to trade except for LeBron and AD.

In other words, the Lakers must trade Russell Westbrook before the trade deadline and the players traded for should be on reasonable and tradeable two-year contracts which would become expiring contracts next summer. The ideal position would be for the Lakers to have two or three players on the roster with contracts that would be expiring next summer that they could flip with their 2023 and 2029 first round draft picks for a superstar.

Bottom line, the Lakers’ strategy seems to be to trade Russ for the best package of rotation players with size and shooting as priorities. That trade must happen before training camp or before the midseason trade deadline. The Lakers need to convert Russ’ contract into multiple tradeable contracts that either end after or can be extended to end after the 2022–23 season, That would give them the best possible position to pull off a mega trade.

To be optimally positioned to pursue a third superstar or mega roster makeover next summer, the Lakers need to trade Westbrook for two or three rotation players who will become expiring contracts next summer.

Lakers Fast Break- Time To Go Back To Camp With Lebron! Group Chat!

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Lebron James is set to run his minicamp in the near future and with Russell Westbrook STILL on the team is he a welcomed member to work out with the team? Is it a foregone conclusion that he is on the roster? Join Joe Soro from lakersball.com and Jamie Sweet from lakerholics.com as they talk with Gerald about what to expect as we head into training camp and what the early analysis from the experts say as we bring back the NightHawks on the latest Lakers Fast Break podcast!

Please Like, Share, and Subscribe to our channel and our social media @lakersfastbreak on Twitter. If you have questions for us give us a shout-out on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook, or send us your thoughts to lakersfastbreak@yahoo.com.

Gear up with your favorite Lakers Fast Break shirts and gifts in our Pop Culture Cosmos TeePublic store at https://www.teepublic.com/user/pop-culture-cosmos

Presented by our friends at the Hoop Heads Podcast Network, ThriveFantasy, NBA Draft Junkies, lakerholics.com, lakersball.com, Pop Culture Cosmos, Inside Sports Fantasy Football, Vampires and Vitae, the novel Congratulations, You Suck (available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble), The Happy Hoarder, and Retro City Games!

Rob Pelinka Answers Tough Questions in Imaginary Interview with LakerTom

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Have you ever wished NBA GMs would just say what they mean? Between cryptic comments, posturing, and intentional misinformation, the Lakers have succeeded in convincing everybody what they’re not going to do. 

They‘re not going to take back more salary than they send out in a trade. They’re not going to take back multi-year contracts. They’re not going to give up two picks unless it makes them a true championship contender. What the Lakers do not tell you is what they’re going to do with respect to Russell Westbrook. Unlike the situation with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, don’t expect the Lakers to make a formal announcement about Russ.

Let’s take quick trip to the multiverse and alternative world where NBA front office executives must answer all media and fan question directly and honestly in this secret imaginary interview of Rob Pelinka by LakerTom.

LakerTom: “What are the Lakers going to do with Russell Westbrook and when can we expect something to happen?”

Rob Pelinka: “We’ve been trying to trade Westbrook but teams aren’t going to make their best offer until we’re close to training camp, which is when we expect to be able to consummate an acceptable deal to trade him.”

LakerTom: “You’ve said you would not give up both available first round picks unless it made the Lakers a legitimate championship contender. With Kyrie no longer available, is there any acceptable trade that would warrant two picks?”

Rob Pelinka: “First, Kyrie was probably the only trade that could conceivably made the Lakers a legitimate championship contender. However, that doesn’t mean the Lakers won’t give up two picks to significantly improve the team. The difference is the two picks have to be used for players who fit AD’s timeline.”

LakerTom: “The Lakers’ current roster appears to be an unfinished product that desperately needs 3-point shooting and better depth and backups behind forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis that could only come from trading Westbrook. Are the Lakers serious about bringing back Russell Westbrook?”

Rob Pelinka: “Frankly, the last thing in the world we want to do is run it back with Westbrook. Fortunately, we’re confident we can find multiple trades that offer a better outcome than bringing back Russ. We’re just waiting for teams to get to the point where they’re ready to make their best offer.”

“We knew when we started rebuilding the roster this offseason, that the only way we were going to be able to get elite volume 3-point shooters and invaluable 3&D wings we needed was by trading Russ. Those kinds of players simply aren’t available as minimum salary players. This was all part of our original plan.”

LakerTom: “We keep hearing rumors about the Lakers being unwilling to take back anything but expiring contracts in Westbrook trade so that they can keep the $35 million they’re projected to have in cap space next summer to pursue Kyrie. How important is cap space for next summer to chase Kyrie Irving?”

Rob Pelinka: “While we do have a goal of having as much cap space as possible to pursue free agents next summer, we would like to limit any contracts coming back to a maximum of two years so they matchup with LeBron’s and AD’s deals. Fortunately, the top two players the Lakers are targeting — Myles Turner and Bojan Bogdanovic — are both on expiring contracts so in a perfect world, we would love to be able to have as much open cap space as possible.”

“Finally, you have to remember that we are not going to trade two very valuable first round draft picks along with Westbrook for two or three legitimate starters or rotation players unless we’re able and willing to re-sign them to an extension. One of the reasons why we want to trade Westbrook this offseason is we need the starters and rotation players we can get back for him. They’re not only critical to completing this roster but also to serve if needed as trading chips at the deadline.”

LakerTom: “What is your thought about whether a superstar big three or a superstar big two with a deeper more talented roster is the better path to another Lakers’ championship? And would the Lakers be interested in a midseason trade before the deadline that sent Turner and Hield to Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving?”

Rob Pelinka: “The general answer to your question is it depends on the superstars and how they fit. The specific answer to your question is yes, we would love to trade Turner and Hield for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline. In fact, the Nets’ coveting of Turner is one of our reasons for wanting to trade for him now.”

Lakers’ Best Shot at Championship Is Myles Turner and Buddy Hield Trade

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Lakers’ fans are about to find out how serious Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are about going all-in to win a championship. Get ready because we’re at that point right now. Opportunity has knocked. Will the Lakers answer?

Per Jovan Buha of the Athletic, the Lakers understand the best deal they can get for the assets they have — Russell Westbrook and two first round draft picks — would be trading with the Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. So far, the Pacers have asked for the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks as the price for a Westbrook for Turner and Hield trade and the Lakers have countered with the second pick being a swap or protected.

The Lakers smartly would like to keep one of their first round picks as ammunition to sweeten a possible major midseason trade at the deadline or to combine with their 2023 first round pick in a draft day deal next summer. Besides keeping one of their picks, Pelinka is probably unwilling to make a deal that increases salaries and luxury taxes and prefers to trade only for players with expiring contracts, though that probably depends on player.

To create leverage to get the Pacers to agree to the second pick being a swap or protected, the Lakers are actively seeking a Westbrook trade with the Jazz or Spurs that includes just one pick and no salary and tax increases. That’s a smart strategy as is waiting out the Pacers at this point in time. There is little difference between an unprotected pick or a pick swap to the team receiving the swap since it is by its definition completely unprotected.

In the end, Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss must remember their commitment to their fans as legal guardians of the Los Angeles Lakers brand is to do whatever they can possibly do within reason to win more championships. Their commitment to LeBron James is to use all the tools in their arsenal to surround him with the best possible talent to enable him to win. As is their commitment to Darvin Ham to get him the players he needs for his system.

Nothing is as important as giving the dynamic young coach the Lakers hired to recapture their championship defense and modernize their old school offense a great roster whose skillsets and persona fit what he needs to win. The Beverley trade has given Ham the aggressive point-of-attack guard he needs to fill the role Jrue Holiday played for the Bucks. Now Pelinka needs to get Ham the modern two-way center he needs to fill Brook Lopez’s role.

Trading for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield is the Lakers’ best shot to win a championship this season. Negotiate the best possible terms but walk away from the table with the deal. Not with an empty hand and an extra pick.