The Official Los Angeles Lakers Thread

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Fun to watch last nights win over Dallas.  Looked good running the returning Lonzo Ball and I. Thomas together.  Randle looked unstoppable.

Another game vs. Sacramento Queens tonight.  Keep the momentum going!

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Wondering if the Lakers could potentially trade for a young superstar?  Anthony Davis comes to mind.  So does Kawhi Leonard.  Wonder what it would take to get Davis from N.O.?  Ingram or Ball, along with a resigned Randle and Luol Deng (plus maybe the 2019 first rounder?)?  Davis will make $25+ million next season.  Deng will make roughly $18 million.  Probably gonna sign Randle at around $12-15 million and Ingram makes $5.7 million.  N.O would need to add some salary coming back to make it work but wonder if they'd be happy with that.  Maybe Kuzma makes more sense at $1.7 million (Deng 18 + Ingram 5.7 + Kuzma 1.7=25ish million).  Still have the 2 maxes available in FA to get George/Lebron.  Resign Randle w/ Bird rights.

New starting lineup:  Ball/SG*/George/Lebron/A. Davis                          *Ring chasing vet SG at midlevel exemption (Danny Green, JJ Redick, KCP?)

Bench:  *Vet PG like Devin Harris/Hart/Rookie SF*/Randle/Zubac-Bryant                                          *Rookie SF or taller SG with Clevelands #1 pick (Hart could play SF)

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Down go the Queens, although they put up a good fight.  Neutralized Randle a bit putting WCS on him.  KCP picked up the slack and was "en fuego", leading the team with 34 pts and EIGHT made 3's.  Nice team effort as 7 different players scored in double digits.  Randle killed it on the boards but nearly killed us missing all 5 of his "free" throws.  Keep it up boys!

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Kawhi Leonard has only the remainder of this season and one more season on his contract.  You could build a trade around Ingram and a future first (Clevelands this season or our 2019), maybe including Zubac.  Similar package to what Indi got for PG, except Indi took a middling prospect on a bad deal.....$21 million per for Oladipo.  Admittedly, Oladipo has been great this season.  But, at the time of that trade $21 mil per for a guy averaging 16 per wasn't an ideal return.  Ingram's deal is much more favorable.  Then, sign PG and players to fill-in the roster (KCP and IT at $10 mill each), and finally go over the cap to resign Randle.  Draft two new youngsters with the Cleveland first (SF-Chandler Hutchison, PG/SG Landry Shamet, SF/PF De'Andre Hunter) and Denver second (PG-Aaron Holiday, PG Shamorie Ponds, SG/SF Melvin Frazier)

Starters:  Lonzo/KCP/George/Leonard/Randle

Bench:  IT/Hart/Deng/Kuzma/Bryant

Deep Bench:  Two rooks (Hunter, Ponds)

[HaloMilliVanilli]

And then, take the above wish/plan^^^^^^deduct FA's KCP and IT (creating $20 million) and stretch Deng over 5 seasons (creates another $11 million).  You've got enough room to likely get Lebron.

Starters:  Lonzo/George/Leonard/Kuzma/Lebron

Bench:  Ponds/Hart/Hunter/Randle/Bryant

*Probably have the ability to add a couple of ring chasing vets for the mid-level exemption and vet minimum, too!

[Stradling]

I would not trade Ingram for anyone not named Anthony Davis or Greek Freak. 

[Angel Oracle]

I saw that the Greek Freak has 3 years/$77.5 million remaining after this season, and only turns 24 after the season.    He would be a great post player target via trade. 

[Tank]

who is the greek freak?

and would trading ingram really be the right thing to do?

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Tank said:

who is the greek freak?

and would trading ingram really be the right thing to do?

The Milwaukee Bucks' 6-11 post player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, averaging some 27 pts and 10 rebounds per game 

Hey, the Lakers already traded for another former Bucks player who was one of the greatest ever (Kareem in 1975).  

[HaloMilliVanilli]

We certainly don't HAVE to trade for anyone.  IF we can sign one or two FA's, and their coming isn't contingent on getting another superstar (of which Leonard, Davis and Freak are), go with free agency and keep youngsters together.  But these are transactions that could occur in the right circumstances.  Leonard only has one season left on his current deal, Davis and Freak have several and, thus, will cost more.  I'd likely target Leonard of the three due to that reason if we were interested in that route.

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, HaloJustinBieber said:

We certainly don't HAVE to trade for anyone.  IF we can sign one or two FA's, and their coming isn't contingent on getting another superstar (of which Leonard, Davis and Freak are), go with free agency and keep youngsters together.  But these are transactions that could occur in the right circumstances.  Leonard only has one season left on his current deal, Davis and Freak have several and, thus, will cost more.  I'd likely target Leonard of the three due to that reason if we were interested in that route.

I will keep asking this question.  If you get a guy like Leonard and a sign a guy like Paul George or even Lebron, where does Ingram play?  This team needs a big and a wing player, if you sign two wing players, then what the f do you do with Ingram?  

[tennischmp]

Looks even sillier now that Randle was getting under 20 minutes a game earlier in the season, that guy is balling

[Stradling]

20 minutes ago, tennischmp said:

Looks even sillier now that Randle was getting under 20 minutes a game earlier in the season, that guy is balling

I will assume Randle deserved his lack of minutes.  Was he a better player, of course, it has never been a lack of talent.  He would take plays off constantly.  My guess is we are seeing the best of him now because of how he was treated for taking those plays off.  

[tennischmp]

48 minutes ago, SuperTroopers said:

I will assume Randle deserved his lack of minutes.  Was he a better player, of course, it has never been a lack of talent.  He would take plays off constantly.  My guess is we are seeing the best of him now because of how he was treated for taking those plays off.  

Well it's not like he started the season playing 30+ minutes per game and then it decrease because he was taking plays off, in fact the first 2 games of the season he played 13 and 18 minutes. 

[HaloMilliVanilli]

5 hours ago, SuperTroopers said:

I will keep asking this question.  If you get a guy like Leonard and a sign a guy like Paul George or even Lebron, where does Ingram play?  This team needs a big and a wing player, if you sign two wing players, then what the f do you do with Ingram?  

In the Leonard scenario, you're likely trading Ingram and replacing with Leonard at the SF.

[tennischmp]

4 minutes ago, HaloJustinBieber said:

In the Leonard scenario, you're likely trading Ingram and replacing with Leonard at the SF.

I wouldn't trade for anyone that is a FA this or next summer

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Ultimately, I was bored and had some time at work so I started spinning potentials.  It's all possible and I wouldn't be surprised if all of it happened, or none of it.  Interesting how many ways we can go.  I suppose the bottom line for me is to NOT lose good ball-players for nothing.  If we sign MAX FA's, don't just let Randle walk for nothing please!

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Just now, tennischmp said:

I wouldn't trade for "just" anyone that is a FA this or next summer

The abridged opinion is how I feel.  Don't trade a player with the future that Ingram likely has for a rental.  George and Leonard are socal guys.  Leonard is the only trade candidate in my mind, and hopefully he'd be straight with us about his intention to resign or negotiate an extension.  I'm with Hangin' in that I hope the Lakers are happy getting at least George, but I don't know if George coming alone is what George wants.  So then the question is:  If we don't want Lebron, and George won't come without you obtaining another All-Star amigo (Leonard or similar), then what?

[Stradling]

I wouldn’t trade Ingram for Leonard. 

[Angel Oracle]

What post players, other than Jordan, are UFA's this summer.   One of them plus PG-13 would be a great off-season.

[Angel Oracle]

Anyone checking out how Bryant is doing in the G League?

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Randle will have to want to be here, maybe enough to take a paycut.  I have a feeling that a team like Dallas will offer Randle a contract that would be more than we really want to pay.  But if they offer him a over-our-budget deal and he signs it, we CAN match it and not lose him, but will we?  If he wants to stay bad enough, he won't sign any contract offers and negotiate directly with us.  Almost certainly means less money but still alot of money and staying in LA with the core he's grown with.

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Is $18 mill per an extreme overpay?  I was kind of assuming he'd be getting somewhere in the $12-15 range, so to lose him over $3-5 million would piss me off.

[Angel Oracle]

First win in Miami in TEN years!   And a dominant one at that, now 16-7 since bottoming out at 11-27

Thomas is becoming the force he was a year ago.

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Having a great time watching this team.  Bummed that Josh Hart is hurt, but otherwise pretty happy with these guys.