If Lakers don't sign George or LeBron next offseason, will the Russell trade be one of the worst ever?

[TheDoors24]

The Lakers knew enough about the kids to really want to trade him. Maybe they just dont' feel he will be a super star or he isn't worth the trouble.

[OdomFan]

Nothing tops Nick Van Exel for Tony Battie and Tyronn Lue or Kwame Brown for Caron Butler. Thankfully Kwames presence helped land us Gasol later though.

[GreatWhiteStiff]

I mean Russell is essentially getting paid the 54 million or whatever dollars that mozgod is...he's a young (struggling) player with some potential, but I don't think that giving up on a player with that kind of contract is ever horrible. Plus they got some assets back for him. Honestly he's not playing like a top 5 pick in any draft however, could be a breakout year though.

[JJ_PR]

I mean Russell is essentially getting paid the 54 million or whatever dollars that mozgod is...he's a young (struggling) player with some potential, but I don't think that giving up on a player with that kind of contract is ever horrible. Plus they got some assets back for him. Honestly he's not playing like a top 5 pick in any draft however, could be a breakout year though.

Mozgov's contract isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. 15/yr under current cap rules isn't terrible, especially for a big.

[dho4ever]

I mean Russell is essentially getting paid the 54 million or whatever dollars that mozgod is...he's a young (struggling) player with some potential, but I don't think that giving up on a player with that kind of contract is ever horrible. Plus they got some assets back for him. Honestly he's not playing like a top 5 pick in any draft however, could be a breakout year though.

If you compare him with his peers, how many people in the 2015 draft are better than him?

[Amare_1_Knicks]

Russell IS a point guard and Lonzo is definitely going to be taken number 2 in the draft tomorrow; why would they need two PG's going forward? Also, with that same trade they managed to get rid of Mozgov's awful, terribly expensive contract which gives them room to sign anyone in the first place AND they get an all-star level big man in return.

Whether or not they get Lebron or PG is irrelevant -- personally, I think the whole Lebron sweepstakes thing is a little unrealistic anyway -- the idea is to clear up cap space so that you can sign a top tier player and even if they don't sign one of those two, they can still be in play for others.

So no, definitely not a bad trade.

[HeartBreakKid]

I mean Russell is essentially getting paid the 54 million or whatever dollars that mozgod is...he's a young (struggling) player with some potential, but I don't think that giving up on a player with that kind of contract is ever horrible. Plus they got some assets back for him. Honestly he's not playing like a top 5 pick in any draft however, could be a breakout year though.

If you compare him with his peers, how many people in the 2015 draft are better than him?

You could make an argument that he's currently not a top 5 player in his draft despite him going 2nd overall. Of course what's important is how good these players are in their prime, but as of now he isn't very impressive, puts up large numbers but gets way more touches than most players in his class.

[Beethoven]

I think the presumption of strategy to pick up two marquee players next off-season to become reality is really just Bonus for the Lakers and fans.

The key is present situation. And it is a good one.

1) we are trying to rid of the past mistakes manifestations in deng and mozgov from previous management and to unload mozgov yesterday is a breath of fresh air like a huge debt consolidation cut in half for some family bc of some philanthropist heart to them. That's how I feel.

2) at the small price of dlo. To be honest for me, it isn't a price at all. Magic and everyone going forward is about creating an atmosphere championship mindhood again. And dlo doesn't fit that picture. Most thinking-man's Lakers fans will agree. Next will be Clarkson and Randle.

[jason bourne]

Once Kobe left, the Lakers went down the tubes. We had the ownership imbroglio and now former player Magic Johnson is trying to right the ship. Let's start with getting a PG like Lonzo Ball and see how he plays. However, it seems the other LA team is the one in the driver's seat for LeBron. As for Paul George, he seems to have his mind set on the Lakers.

[Beethoven]

Double post

[og15]

Russell hasn't lived up to being selected 2nd overall. Don't love his game. The Lakers should have never signed Deng & Mozgov. But, its not the end of the world.

He's 21 years old and just two years into his NBA career though, so I don't know. Year 3 for a lot of players, especially the ones that come in even younger tends to be that year where they take a next step, not always, it can be year 4. I guess we'll see this next season if it was in the end a good decision, but it was certainly a risky one.

Of course on the other hand, they will likely be drafting Lonzo and probably like him more. The issue isn't trading DLo, it is the value, but they got to get rid of Mozgov, though that was obviously a terrible signing in the first place by the previous FO.

[ILOVEIT]

Good GM "Know when you've looked a player for two years whether or not he's the real deal". If not...NOT having him is better than having him. Get that star...or move the F on...

[druggas]

This trade is just a precursor to many more moves. Stoopid thread.

[OrlandoDream]

Does is matter? This trade is self-inflicted by LA. In order to get rid of the guy, they willingly signed to a 68mil deal at midnight last year, they had to include their #2 overall pick. Lopez won't be in their long term plan. They basically traded DLO for the 27th pick.

[True Story]

The Lakers literally fleeced the Nets for a great center and a 1st round pick in exchange for a 2nd tier sophmore and a salary dump.

I cant wait to see how disappointed all the Lakers haters will be when DLO disappoints everyone with pathetically nonathletic play.

[True Story]

We draft a PG, run Ingram at the 2 and have Lopez at the 5.

Major upgrade already without Russell log jamming the guard position.

[norcocredo]

As a season ticket holder who puts over 10g's a year into the Lakers, it won't be the worst ever but it will look bad if the Lakers don't improve.

I am neutral on Russell. He was good with potential but he also had work ethic issues. Those could be fixed but it is to be seen if they will.

I am ok with this deal regardless of the outcome. It provides us flexibility regardless of how we capitalize on it.

[ProfessorJM]

Here was my hope back in May in my post:

If the Lakers can somehow offload a horrible contract to receive an expiring one allowing them to lock in George (and maybe even one other free agent of impact) and also have flexibility beyond next year, I would consider offloading Russell. I admit I am not so high on him so if the Lakers feel differently they should try him out next year with Ball. (put him at the 2) I'd much rather have George and one of Mosgov/Deng contract gone without Russell than having Russell and being stuck three more years with both of these contracts. If you could actually dump both Deng and Mosgov I'd give up Russell and more (not Ingram) as well.

So maybe aim for Ball, George, one more strong free agent, Ingram.
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I thought they would be able to package Mosgov or Deng with a Russell to offload the bad contract and get an expiring and also get George and one other premier free agent to pair with Ball/Ingram/George. This move was a little different but they can still accomplish what I think is the primary goal of having two elite wings (hopefully for Laker fans) in Ingram and George and an elite PG in Ball, and one other elite free agent and build from there. They still have that chance, but could they have gotten more from Russell and/or just used these pieces to get George already? I don't really know, but the trade isn't horrible to me yet. This is mostly because of Russell though, who I am very down on, not on just talent but because if I own an NBA team, I don't want him on my roster for reasons beyond basketball. Ball is a much better potential fit for the Lakers brand, and that matters to that franchise I would think.

[JellosJigglin]

Here was my hope back in May in my post:

If the Lakers can somehow offload a horrible contract to receive an expiring one allowing them to lock in George (and maybe even one other free agent of impact) and also have flexibility beyond next year, I would consider offloading Russell. I admit I am not so high on him so if the Lakers feel differently they should try him out next year with Ball. (put him at the 2) I'd much rather have George and one of Mosgov/Deng contract gone without Russell than having Russell and being stuck three more years with both of these contracts. If you could actually dump both Deng and Mosgov I'd give up Russell and more (not Ingram) as well.

So maybe aim for Ball, George, one more strong free agent, Ingram.
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I thought they would be able to package Mosgov or Deng with a Russell to offload the bad contract and get an expiring and also get George and one other premier free agent to pair with Ball/Ingram/George. This move was a little different but they can still accomplish what I think is the primary goal of having two elite wings (hopefully for Laker fans) in Ingram and George and an elite PG in Ball, and one other elite free agent and build from there. They still have that chance, but could they have gotten more from Russell and/or just used these pieces to get George already? I don't really know, but the trade isn't horrible to me yet. This is mostly because of Russell though, who I am very down on, not on just talent but because if I own an NBA team, I don't want him on my roster for reasons beyond basketball. Ball is a much better potential fit for the Lakers brand, and that matters to that franchise I would think.

Kudos.

According to Laker insiders, DLo is the kind of guy who is happy-go-lucky and lacks the stuff that the greats have to truly grind and reach their potential. He may eventually find it, but for now he hasn't shown it. He's more Dwight than Kobe personality wise. The talent is there, but he needs to decide what kind of career he wants. Is he just happy to be in the NBA? Or does he want to become a top 5 guard in the league? Not to mention he's already getting PRP therapy on his knee and has missed several games because of it. My initial reaction was surprise, but after processing it I thought the deal made sense for both teams.

[jimmy keys]

The Lakers trade of D'Angelo Russell hinges on them landing two marquee free agents in 2018. If it doesn't go as planed, it will blow up right in their faces. Let's not forget the Lakers had to sacrifice a whole season just to get that #2 overall pick which ultimately turned into Russell. While he has been a dissapointment thus far, giving up on him so early is very risky. I also think they could've gotten much better value out of him.

The Celtics trading out of the #1 slot is risky, but this takes it to a whole 'nother level.

This is an addition by subtraction. You're overvaluing Russell based on past, not current perception of his value.

LA tried to move him for a top 12 pick and all they got were crickets. That tells you that he's not perceived as a valuable asset league wide.

It took the most desperate team in the NBA to take a chance on him. Think about that for a minute.