Westbrook Trades - Dream a Sweet Dream

[Eric Bieniemy]

There are far more options in 2024. If the Lakers traded Westbrook and Nunn (with a first) for Conley, Bogdonovic, and Beasley they can punt their space for one extra year.

PG - Conley - Beverley - Collison - Pippen Jr
SG - Brown Jr - Reaves - Walker
C - Davis - (James) - Jones - Bryant
PF - James - Bogdonovic - Gabriel
SF - Anderson - Beasley - Christie - Swider

[DNP-Old]

Honest Question: Who are the Lakers targeting next summer with their space?

Probably Kyrie.

[TylersLakers]

Conley, Beasley, and Bogdonovic

for

Westbrook, Nunn, and a first round pick

Any combination that involves getting NBA basketball players and getting rid of a non-NBA player (Westbrook) is a win in my books.

I hear you, but the contracts coming back do matter.

Here, the Lakers would be punting their capspace to 2024, so it works.

I would rather build a quality team now and add to it instead of the cap space route.

We’re not going to have max cap space - we’d have somewhere around $35M. So who’s realistic with that amount of money?

- Kyrie Irving: It’s not a max deal so he’d have to take less but considering everything that goes around him, do you want to sink 35M a season for 4 years into him? I don’t. Also one thing to keep in mind with using all the space on one player - after that, all you have left is a room exception of around $5M and vet minimums. So your roster is Kyrie, LeBron (39 years old) and AD.

- Kevin Love: 35 years old, he’ll be a MLE candidate for $10M a season.

- Andrew Wiggins: He’d probably take up all of our space. Then again, room exception and vet mins are all that’s left.

Myles Turner, Jerami Grant, Vucevic, Russell?

None of those guys are worth max deals or worth saving significant space for.

If a package of Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Mike Conley is available for Russ and 1 1st (taking on Conley) or Bogdanovic, Beasley, Gay, Clarkson for Westbrook and 2 1sts is available - you do it. You would have bird rights on all those players, you’d still be way under the luxury tax which means you have sign and trades and the full MLE available.

There’s so much more roster flexibility without hoarding cap space and pushing the years we have LeBron and AD back by one. That’s such a silly plan.
-

[Eric Bieniemy]

Honest Question: Who are the Lakers targeting next summer with their space?

Probably Kyrie.

And Plan B is what? It appears the Lakers are putting all their eggs in one basket ... again.

Getting Conley (a shooter, ballhandler w/experience), Beasley (a young shooter), and Bogdonovic (a veteran )shooter makes this team dynamic immediately while also leaving space in 2024 for more options than 2023.

[DNP-Old]

Honest Question: Who are the Lakers targeting next summer with their space?

Probably Kyrie.

And Plan B is what? It appears the Lakers are putting all their eggs in one basket ... again.

Getting Conley (a shooter, ballhandler w/experience), Beasley (a young shooter), and Bogdonovic (a veteran )shooter makes this team dynamic immediately while also leaving space in 2024 for more options than 2023.

I was merely answering the question not arguing in favor of...That being said, plan B (I'm guessing) might be Turner or Trent, Jr... As for Conley, Beasley & Bogdonovic; I like Beasley & Bojan but would try to avoid Conley due to his contract and how poorly he played in last year's post season. I would also try to avoid Gay but push comes to shove I would take him over Conley.

[AGAVE]

Looking at 2023 & 2024 lists of available Free Agents.

2024 dominates with, for now, at a projected 228 players.

2023 lists around 42; with about 20 of those with Bird rights.
2024 lists around 120 with Bird rights.

Somehow eating short term contracts that do not get in the way of the 2024 available players, makes me think that the Front Office is looking at it this way.
Those FR unprotected picks hold greater Laker team value getting closer to 2024.

How this affects Westbrook?
Possibly eating that last year and/or continuing to look at remaining trade options,
or trade deadline moves in 2022/2023 season.
I dont see RW's value in the league going towards 2024 unless he elects to be a role player at a discounted rate.

One way or another, I'll assume Pelinka is holding for the end of this season to start his future team plans.

[Eric Bieniemy]

Looking at 2023 & 2024 lists of available Free Agents.

2024 dominates with, for now, at a projected 228 players.

2023 lists around 42; with about 20 of those with Bird rights.
2024 lists around 120 with Bird rights.

Somehow eating short term contracts that do not get in the way of the 2024 available players, makes me think that the Front Office is looking at it this way.
Those FR unprotected picks hold greater Laker team value getting closer to 2024.

How this affects Westbrook?
Possibly eating that last year and/or continuing to look at remaining trade options,
or trade deadline moves in 2022/2023 season.
I dont see RW's value in the league going towards 2024 unless he elects to be a role player at a discounted rate.

One way or another, I'll assume Pelinka is holding for the end of this season to start his future team plans.

No one really knows for certain, but all reports say the Lakers are eyeing 2023 not 2024.

[Eric Bieniemy]

This is the best lineup with the current roster (player feelings be damned). This is the lineup they should rollout if they want to win the most games possible:

PG - Nunn - Beverley - (Pippen Jr)
SG - Reaves - Walker - Christie
C - Davis - Bryant - Jones
PF - James - Westbrook - Gabriel
SF - Brown Jr - Anderson - (Swider)

[tamaraw08]

Probably Kyrie.

And Plan B is what? It appears the Lakers are putting all their eggs in one basket ... again.

Getting Conley (a shooter, ballhandler w/experience), Beasley (a young shooter), and Bogdonovic (a veteran )shooter makes this team dynamic immediately while also leaving space in 2024 for more options than 2023.

I was merely answering the question not arguing in favor of...That being said, plan B (I'm guessing) might be Turner or Trent, Jr... As for Conley, Beasley & Bogdonovic; I like Beasley & Bojan but would try to avoid Conley due to his contract and how poorly he played in last year's post season. I would also try to avoid Gay but push comes to shove I would take him over Conley.

I like Gary Trent Jr but I just have a horrible feeling Rich Paul would force Rob again to give him a larger than usual contract all because he is a Klutch client. That Troy Brown signing made me sick Pelinka rushed in to sign a guy who averaged 4.3 pts per game, his LOWEST IN HIS 4 season career because?
Spurs took a chance to Lonnie Walker used their precious 18th pick on him. They patiently nurtured, trained him then after 4 years and 208 games then just let him go unlike most of their young guys where they either retained or signed then traded.
Also no on Conley.

[tamaraw08]

This is the best lineup with the current roster (player feelings be damned). This is the lineup they should rollout if they want to win the most games possible:

PG - Nunn - Beverley - (Pippen Jr)
SG - Reaves - Walker - Christie
C - Davis - Bryant - Jones
PF - James - Westbrook - Gabriel
SF - Brown Jr - Anderson - (Swider)

Westbrook as their PF?

[TJM217]

This is the best lineup with the current roster (player feelings be damned). This is the lineup they should rollout if they want to win the most games possible:

PG - Nunn - Beverley - (Pippen Jr)
SG - Reaves - Walker - Christie
C - Davis - Bryant - Jones
PF - James - Westbrook - Gabriel
SF - Brown Jr - Anderson - (Swider)

Assuming everyone subs at the same time that's not a bad 2nd unit. If you switch Bryant and Jones you have a pretty balanced offense and defense.

Honestly this just reminds me how much I hate this roster lol

[Eric Bieniemy]

This is the best lineup with the current roster (player feelings be damned). This is the lineup they should rollout if they want to win the most games possible:

PG - Nunn - Beverley - (Pippen Jr)
SG - Reaves - Walker - Christie
C - Davis - Bryant - Jones
PF - James - Westbrook - Gabriel
SF - Brown Jr - Anderson - (Swider)

Westbrook as their PF?

Both Brown Jr and Anderson have played alot of minutes guarding PFs. They're all interchangeable, including Westbrook.

James, Brown Jr, and Anderson can all check the vast majority of new-age fours in the league, and Westbrook isn't far behind them.

In The Finals we saw guys like Grant Williams, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Tatum/Brown play PF for extensive minutes. In the conference finals we saw PJ Tucker, Jimmy Butler, Reggie Bullock, and Dorian Finney-Smith log almost all the PF minutes.

Westbrook can guard every last one of the aforementioned players, and even though he's the shortest out of the bunch (don't believe he's only 6'2, more like 6'4), he's by far the best rebounder and may be the strongest too.

These ain't your granddaddy's PFs, gentleman. I hope Darvin Ham is thinking out of the box in his quest to find a winning role for Westbrook.

[danfantastk32]

I hope Darvin Ham is thinking out of the box in his quest to find a winning role for Westbrook.

[Cappy_Smurf]

Read on Twitter

I don't see Ainge pairing westbrook with sexton. They would want sexton to show out to be traded for more picks in the future.

Westbrook will be bought out.

[tamaraw08]

This is the best lineup with the current roster (player feelings be damned). This is the lineup they should rollout if they want to win the most games possible:

PG - Nunn - Beverley - (Pippen Jr)
SG - Reaves - Walker - Christie
C - Davis - Bryant - Jones
PF - James - Westbrook - Gabriel
SF - Brown Jr - Anderson - (Swider)

Westbrook as their PF?

Both Brown Jr and Anderson have played alot of minutes guarding PFs. They're all interchangeable, including Westbrook.

James, Brown Jr, and Anderson can all check the vast majority of new-age fours in the league, and Westbrook isn't far behind them.

In The Finals we saw guys like Grant Williams, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Tatum/Brown play PF for extensive minutes. In the conference finals we saw PJ Tucker, Jimmy Butler, Reggie Bullock, and Dorian Finney-Smith log almost all the PF minutes.

Westbrook can guard every last one of the aforementioned players, and even though he's the shortest out of the bunch (don't believe he's only 6'2, more like 6'4), he's by far the best rebounder and may be the strongest too.

These ain't your granddaddy's PFs, gentleman. I hope Darvin Ham is thinking out of the box in his quest to find a winning role for Westbrook.

I think all the other players you mentioned are 6-6 or taller. Grant Williams, Green, Tucker etc are bulky guys. Lakers ranked in the bottom 3rd last year when they tried to put many short players at the same time hoping to speed up the game. Westbrook plucks a lot of rebounds because he cheats on defense, positioning himself inside instead of extending to cover the perimeter imo.

[Eric Bieniemy]

Westbrook as their PF?

Both Brown Jr and Anderson have played alot of minutes guarding PFs. They're all interchangeable, including Westbrook.

James, Brown Jr, and Anderson can all check the vast majority of new-age fours in the league, and Westbrook isn't far behind them.

In The Finals we saw guys like Grant Williams, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Tatum/Brown play PF for extensive minutes. In the conference finals we saw PJ Tucker, Jimmy Butler, Reggie Bullock, and Dorian Finney-Smith log almost all the PF minutes.

Westbrook can guard every last one of the aforementioned players, and even though he's the shortest out of the bunch (don't believe he's only 6'2, more like 6'4), he's by far the best rebounder and may be the strongest too.

These ain't your granddaddy's PFs, gentleman. I hope Darvin Ham is thinking out of the box in his quest to find a winning role for Westbrook.

I think all the other players you mentioned are 6-6 or taller. Grant Williams, Green, Tucker etc are bulky guys. Lakers ranked in the bottom 3rd last year when they tried to put many short players at the same time hoping to speed up the game. Westbrook plucks a lot of rebounds because he cheats on defense, positioning himself inside instead of extending to cover the perimeter imo.

They are mostly over 6'5. You're right. It's negligible though, especially when talking about a player of Westbrook's strength. James Harden was tasked with playing a lot of PF too and he performed wonderfully because he is so strong. Harden became a plus defender guarding bigger guys. I think Westbrook could do the same. If not, Anderson and Brown (and James) can slide over to guard the bigger forward and this is all a moot point. I'm only taking time to articulate the point that Westbrook could guard alot of PFs if given that task in a limited basis. It's not as crazy as it sounds.

[BEazy]

I'm beginning to think Westbrick will end up staying on the team and we're going to have the same BS as last season. This might be the first time where I won't watch a lot of basketball. I don't really care about LeBron passing up Kareem... It doesn't interest me.

[TheHartBreakKid]

Here is what I think is happening, possibly with my tinfoil hat on, but to me it makes perfect sense:


I believe Westbrook is making an extra effort to show that he's committed to being a good teammate and locker room guy for the lakers, not because he thinks LAL will resign him, and not because he necessary wants to stay, but because he wants to get the most money he could next offseason. And the Lakers are making an extra effort to act like RW is in their long term plans, and the Lakers are sincerely planning on playing RW and they are atleast attempting to raise his value. Not because they have any plans of keeping RW past the deadline or godforbid resigning him next year, but because they know that by the deadline, most of RW's contract will be paid already by the Lakers, and he becomes far more valuable as an expiring contract.

And as a laker fan, I really don't mind this. The Utah and Indiana trades should still be there at the deadline but with only 1 first rounder required. The Utah one should be atleast. You take the other pick and package it with some combo of Beverley/Dunn/Walker.

Making desperate moves when everyone knows you're desperate isn't the way to go.

[tugs]

Am I the only one intrigued by the Brodie-Bev backcourt?

[TylersLakers]

Am I the only one intrigued by the Brodie-Bev backcourt?

Yes.