This Lakers-Pelicans sign-and-trade is focused on Lonzo Ball: https://t.co/j6RH8vSSfC
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2021
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Lonzo Ball (via sign-and-trade)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: F Kyle Kuzma, G Talen Horton Tucker (via sign-and-trade), LAL 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #22)
Kuzma and pick should be enough or even Kuzma and KCP, which clears space to keep THT and Caruso and full $9.7M MLE since hardcapped. MLE on PJ Tucker. THT at the two.
LONZO/MILLS/ROOKIE
THT/CARUSO/MATTHEWS
TUCKER/DUARTE/ARIZA
JAMES/MORRIS/ANTHONY
DAVIS/GASOL/COUSINS
Not worth hard capping for.
As you so artfully harangued at me yesterday in another thread. It’s easy to turn down saving $50 million of OPM.
The lure of Lonzo or Lowry is the only reason you would accept a hard cap besides simply saving a lot of money. And even that is relative. I mean $50 million is less than 1% of the Lakers net worth.
Yeah, it’s a lot of money but if you or I or any Lakerholic was worth $5 billion, I don’t think we would sweat that much as paying $50 million to win a championship. The question is do you?
Anyway, I think what the Lakers do comes down to which opportunity emerges once free agency starts. And we all know it’s already started behind the scenes.
I assume we’re looking at the obvious, which is Lowry and Lonzo, the two best realistically price ‘difference-making playmakers’ who might free LeBron and AD to play the 4 and 5.
I’m starting to fall in love with a LONZO/LOWRY, THT, TUCKER, JAMES, and DAVIS Lakers Death Lineup to close games and maybe even start them. If the Lakers got Lonzo, that lineup would be a murders’ row defensivelyi and a monster small ball lineup.
Lol, hard to argue that I’m into the Lakers saving money when bringing back Ball would hard cap us thus preventing the Lakers from spending more money… Just don’t see the logic in that statement. Anyhow, my point is that we don’t have the assets to sign him outright, so a S&T for Ball seems silly considering he’s be the 4th or 5th option and still has playoff sized holes in his game. The dude improved, yes, no disagreement on that point. I don’t see NOLA wanting what we have. They need Ball more than we do and have the most tools available to keep him. Schroeder isn’t an upgrade so why make a S&T? And in the end the Lakers should not hard cap themselves for anyone who is not a superstar: Beal, Dame, Westbrook and that’s the list. In my opinion.
It’s funny because I’ve said, multiple times, that I’d be fine with Ball (or Randle, BI or even Hart) but that there isn’t. Good path for it to happen and that I also doubt he wants to return. Don’t tell me about how he admires LBJ, Booker admired Kobe and he just carved us up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Pros usually don’t return to teams that jilted them. It’s possible it happens and I’ll be happy if it does. Just don’t see that we have what they want.
So rank the following point guard prospects for Lakers.
Here are my rankings based on ability, availability, and cost:
1. Malcolm Brogdon
2. Kyle Lowry
3. Lonzo Ball
4. Terry Rozier
5. Devonte Graham
6. Kemba Walker
7. Mike Conley
8. Spencer Dinwiddie
9. Derek Rose
10. Chris Paul