Lakers Fans - Who Would You Like LA to Pick Up Now

[Godfather13]

I know i'm lower on LaVine than i should, but that type of player just annoy the hell out of me. He's flashy offensively, but the overall impact is just mediocre. McCollum, Beal, Lillard etc. They will win you games and score points, but its the two-way stars and two-way roleplayers that win you titles, not the scorer being paid the max.

Fair comparison honestly. I don't disagree. However, I'm coming from a perspective of it being the last choice, if they really don't wanna give up 2 picks cos they think they're drafting the next Lebron with those.

Just a bunch of loser mentality dumbasses that operate one of the greatest sports franchises like it were a fcuking bank. Dr Buss didn't build this thing by playing it safe. Man must be turning in his grave watching the Celtics take the lead back from us.

[DanishLakerFan]

Maybe the play is: Pay someone a future 2nd to take Cam and/or Hayes and sign Robert Covingtons earthly remains.

Flip Vando, JHS and Lewis for Dorian Finney-Smith.

Come trade deadline, flip D'Lo, Rui and protected 1st to Washington for Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas.

Brogdon / Vincent
Reaves / Max
DFS / Knecht
Lebron / Covington
AD / Valanciunas / Wood

God, I feel like the only guy on that roster who's not in his 30's would be Lebron, cause he's in his 40's...sheesh. Dunno..man, really feels like your shuffling riff-raff around. You clearly have a thing for 30+, lunchbox, so-so players.

Getting a true center and another big PF would be nice...I'll give you that. Would plug a few holes...so you'd already be doing better than our current GM/FO. But this grampa squad of mediocre talent is just gonna fill our IR list...not solve problems.

Dont really care about Lebron being 40 as long as he is playing the way he is. Its weird to me that anyone can watch the Olympics and think that the AD+Lebron-duo has run its course.

The way i see it the Lakers have a window with Lebron and AD right now that they should take advantage of and in my opinion they are just a couple of trades away from being right in the mix. Replacing Hayes with a legit 5 (like Kessler), getting a defensive wing that doesn't hurt us offensively (like DFS) and finding a replacement for (or addition to) D'Lo for the playoffs is a good place to start. Give up future picks if we need to, but make sure the contracts they take on either are cheap or expire in summer of 2026. By then, make a run at another star to pair with AD.

[danfantastk32]

Its weird to me that anyone can watch the Olympics and think that the AD+Lebron-duo has run its course.

Well....you say that, and yet we're a middle of the road team. So I'm gonna let you come to the conclusion as to why things are different between the Olympics and the Lakers on your own. Maybe we have a beautiful discussion then.

[danfantastk32]

The way i see it the Lakers have a window with Lebron and AD right now that they should take advantage of and in my opinion they are just a couple of trades away from being right in the mix.

So I think you and I are a little apart there. Yes....it's possible with a couple really good trades, that we'd be a contender again. I don't think it's one or two role players. Your gonna need a couple guys who really plug holes in our team, and they'd need to be more than just average players. And even then.....now we're in contention. I still make no promises.

But where are these trades coming from? Will you at least concede that Lebron dangled out for the whole league to see....that he'd take a pay cut to get some additional talent here....and that it fell short? And not like last minute, fell short.....but we got NOTHING in the way of interest. Can you be intellectually honest, and concede that? Cause it happened. And its not nothing.

You and I both know the Lakers have been shopping DLo for over a year. They've been packaging ANYTHING but Lebron and AD to make something happen. And yet, here we are with nothing to show for it.

Listen....I was super stoked when Lebron joined. I was a defender of the move. Alot of people thought he only had maybe 2-3 years left in him. I didn't think he'd play at this level reaching 40....but I did argue that it would be more than 2-3 years. AD was the guy I wanted more than anyone. I think we way overpaid.....but I was still happy we got him, and it immediately turned into a title. Getting Lebron and AD was absolutely the right thing to do. I'm not some Lebron/AD hater or anything. At the end of the day, I'd take them all over again. I say all this, because its really easy to just pigeon-hole guys like me as "lebron haters" or something. That couldnt be further from the truth. AD is still an amazing player.....I don't WANT to see him go. I've just played out the chess game here.

Where are these trades? How long can you wait for them? DLo comes off the books next year. Ok....so that's 20mil. AD, Lebron, and all the other contracts tick up a couple mil as well......how much free $$ are you REALISTICALLY expecting next offseason?

It's supposed to be a nice draft next year.....yet we won't be apart of it. Meanwhile the clock keeps ticking. This team is devoid of options. I actually do agree with someone I can't stand, that Lebron and AD are prob the best 1-2 punch in the league. But so what?? It means nothing if you can't do better than 16th-17th in the league. And are they ascending, or descending? We need "X" amount of help this year....how much more will we need next? And the year after that?

You can disagree with me...and you can point to our amazing Olympics...but we're 17th in the league. And there's no help on the horizon. No draft picks, and no trades. If there were...it woulda happened already.


So you tell me.....what is our window? Where's the help coming from? You obviously think I'm dead wrong about all of this....shouldn't you have answers to those questions then?

[Godfather13]

Maybe the play is: Pay someone a future 2nd to take Cam and/or Hayes and sign Robert Covingtons earthly remains.

Flip Vando, JHS and Lewis for Dorian Finney-Smith.

Come trade deadline, flip D'Lo, Rui and protected 1st to Washington for Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas.

Brogdon / Vincent
Reaves / Max
DFS / Knecht
Lebron / Covington
AD / Valanciunas / Wood

God, I feel like the only guy on that roster who's not in his 30's would be Lebron, cause he's in his 40's...sheesh. Dunno..man, really feels like your shuffling riff-raff around. You clearly have a thing for 30+, lunchbox, so-so players.

Getting a true center and another big PF would be nice...I'll give you that. Would plug a few holes...so you'd already be doing better than our current GM/FO. But this grampa squad of mediocre talent is just gonna fill our IR list...not solve problems.

Dont really care about Lebron being 40 as long as he is playing the way he is. Its weird to me that anyone can watch the Olympics and think that the AD+Lebron-duo has run its course.

The way i see it the Lakers have a window with Lebron and AD right now that they should take advantage of and in my opinion they are just a couple of trades away from being right in the mix. Replacing Hayes with a legit 5 (like Kessler), getting a defensive wing that doesn't hurt us offensively (like DFS) and finding a replacement for (or addition to) D'Lo for the playoffs is a good place to start. Give up future picks if we need to, but make sure the contracts they take on either are cheap or expire in summer of 2026. By then, make a run at another star to pair with AD.

They don't watch basketball, just revel in their misery. If they do happen to catch a game, they'll end up fixating on Bron's 4 turnovers in a game he has a 20 point triple double with 74% TS. It's a mental disease. I feel sorry for this lot.

[Godfather13]

Its weird to me that anyone can watch the Olympics and think that the AD+Lebron-duo has run its course.

Well....you say that, and yet we're a middle of the road team. So I'm gonna let you come to the conclusion as to why things are different between the Olympics and the Lakers on your own. Maybe we have a beautiful discussion then.

The obvious conclusion is that AD & Lebron have a far inferior roster and coaching, but you will choose to ignore it and spam the same dumb boring agenda.

I mean it's that or you're just really a casual and just don't get how important those 6-8 other players and coaching are.

Discussion looking beautiful yet?

[danfantastk32]

The obvious conclusion is that AD & Lebron have a far inferior roster and coaching,..../quote]

Had a title winning coach a few seasons ago. So that's boo-boo #1. If you were a Laker fan, you'd know that.

I mean it's that or you're just really a casual and just don't get how important those 6-8 other players and coaching are.

Discussion looking beautiful yet?

Not really....the complete lack of supporting cast is what I've been saying for 2 years. Said they couldn't get out from under it. And here we are. So nothing's changed. You didn't know we had a good coach....negating the coaching theory. So now that you do, maybe you can try again?

[Landsberger]

The obvious conclusion is that AD & Lebron have a far inferior roster and coaching,..../quote]

Had a title winning coach a few seasons ago. So that's boo-boo #1. If you were a Laker fan, you'd know that.

I mean it's that or you're just really a casual and just don't get how important those 6-8 other players and coaching are.

Discussion looking beautiful yet?

Not really....the complete lack of supporting cast is what I've been saying for 2 years. Said they couldn't get out from under it. And here we are. So nothing's changed. You didn't know we had a good coach....negating the coaching theory. So now that you do, maybe you can try again?

Comparing an NBA season to what is essentially an exhibition in the Olympics is just silly on the surface. A few NBA level players sprinkled through country teams they have some loose association with against the US which is the top 90% of BB talent and we're supposed to believe it's relevant to the NBA? It's the Globetrotters against the Generals. I'm actually surprised at the competitiveness of the games the US is playing more than anything.

Two players, who've played together for a few hundred games, looking in sync in the context of teams playing together for less than 30 games is important how in terms of the Lakers success?

The Bron/Davis duo has been swept out of the playoffs a couple times and didn't even make them one other. Others will keep blaming the supporting cast but over half the points, attempts and minutes played are by the central 2 stars.

[danfantastk32]

The Bron/Davis duo has been swept out of the playoffs a couple times and didn't even make them one other. Others will keep blaming the supporting cast but over half the points, attempts and minutes played are by the central 2 stars.

And 2/3rds of the salary. I guess it's more like 1/2...if you go over the cap, like we have. And look...I'm not having a go at them. I'm just looking at the reality. The pros and cons. Lebron prob has my vote for GOAT. I think his numbers are amazing. What he's doing at 39 is completely insane....yada yada yada. He's great...no denying.

But WE"RE not great....and there's no denying that either. We're totally middle of the road. Swapping a pretty bad coach for a complete virgin coach, and maybe moving some bench guys isn't gonna make the necessary improvements.

Way too much focus on Lebron, imo. He and AD are the assets of value that we have. It could be Durant, or whoever....my attitude would still be the same. We've tried moving everything else....and not a peep. So either we go out there and run into that wall again....or we make meaningful changes, and rebuild.

[danfantastk32]

And it better come soon. You hold on to AD too long....and that asset drops like a lead balloon. And of course you're tempting fate with injury every time he steps out there. He's 31.....on the other side of his career now. If meaningful changes could have been made, thats one thing...but they were unable to do anything. So look at the reality staring you in the face here. We're up for another wasted season either barely making, or missing the payoffs. And another year of value off of AD....praying for no bad injury.

[Landsberger]

But WE"RE not great....and there's no denying that either. We're totally middle of the road.

I'm here. Couldn't care less how many points anyone has in a loss... or a win for that matter. I'm not typically a "player fan" anyway. Bron has some incredible stats... he also has been on teams that do not impress as well. More to team basketball than individual performance.

Our team isn't good... and hasn't been for 4 years. It isn't going to get better either. We will mortgage the future here in a month or so to add a 3rd star is my guess with Westbrook level impact... or worse.

[danfantastk32]

Our team isn't good... and hasn't been for 4 years. It isn't going to get better either. We will mortgage the future here in a month or so to add a 3rd star is my guess with Westbrook level impact... or worse.

I was gonna say that we don't have anyone to "dance" with. But then there is LaVine.

I think (I'm praying I'm right) that they closed up and gave Lebron his $$$. They either bought their own hype about a new coach to throw into fire...and really think that's gonna make alot of things better. OR....they have decided with DLo's contract gone next year, they will have Lebron opt out yet again, and try to lure someone.....with a little more to offer.

Those 2025-26 playoffs would be 20 months from now, so it seems like a horrible idea to me. Dollar short, and a day late...I'd say. If they coulda pulled of a Donovan Mitchell move...or something like that THIS offseason....I'd have been on board. But they couldn't. Couldn't even come close to getting guys who are shadows of what he is.

Maybe we're not at a true "check mate" with this roster...but it certainly has that feel to me. I look at their ages, and I just dont see another title....and trying to pair a new guy up with AD will be too late as well.

[danfantastk32]

Maybe if we're under .500 come Jan, and JJ ain't the miracle worker some hope.....they do get a call from a team like OKC ready to get AD and make that push at 2-3 years of being favorites. Maybe we listen?

[Landsberger]

Maybe if we're under .500 come Jan, and JJ ain't the miracle worker some hope.....they do get a call from a team like OKC ready to get AD and make that push at 2-3 years of being favorites. Maybe we listen?

You and I listen... as do 90% of Lakers fans. Ownership however, isn't having any of this. If we're under .500 we will toss a decades worth of firsts at someone along with some of our fodder and youth to get a 12 year veteran "star" to "make a run".

This ownership can't do the hard decisions. The Jerry's looked at what Shaq had become and moved on. We don't win the 2 championships with Pau, Lamar and Kobe without that hard decision.

[DanishLakerFan]

Its weird to me that anyone can watch the Olympics and think that the AD+Lebron-duo has run its course.

Well....you say that, and yet we're a middle of the road team. So I'm gonna let you come to the conclusion as to why things are different between the Olympics and the Lakers on your own. Maybe we have a beautiful discussion then.

I believe the objective should be to put together a team that has 1-2 all-nba-level players than can be the best player in a playoff series as well as a group of roleplayers that enable these guys to succeed and you want to make the playoffs as often as possible with that crew. LA has the stars, but need to find a better supporting cast and while i wouldn't mortgage the entire future given the age of our core guys, i think its possible to make minor moves that can enable the Lakers to win now.

Would have picked LA against all but three teams last offseason (Den, Bos and Min) and i think a few minor moves can put us in position to win this season as well.

I do agree that there is a point when you have to rebuild, but i just want to see Lebron and AD actually decline before we go down that road. Both because its insaney difficult to get guys at their level and because i dont trust the front office to actually tank and rebuild the correct way. For that reason i would take my chances with AD+Lebron for two years and aim for a major free agent to join AD in 2026.


But you want to rebuild. That's great. Does that wish come with an actual plan?

[danfantastk32]

But you want to rebuild. That's great. Does that wish come with an actual plan?

Some respectable points in your post, btw. I agree it will be near impossible to get guys as good as AD and Lebron. I also share serious doubts about this FO getting anything right. But I would counter by saying that we're gonna go down the rebuild road whether we like it or not, in about 3 years max anyhow. If we go into a rebuild with nothing but our picks....you really gotta nail it. Something our FO won't do. But by having alot of extra picks.......I think you get it. The math improves.

As for plan....well the first thing I'd do is try and get 3-4 picks for AD. I think we could do that. Young talent works as a pick too...I'll take either. Given what Gobert and the dude from Brooklyn got traded for...I think 4 picks is super doable. Next I'd try and move Lebron to Phoenix (with Durant) or GS (Curry). I think Lebron would be open to playing either place (especially once we decide to blow it up and move AD)....there would certainly be title aspirations, and they are like 40-45 min flights back home. Dunno...I think it could be done.

But maybe not. Maybe Lebron says "F**K it...im gonna play this last year here with my son, and im out." <------ for reasons like this, ones "Plan" has to be pretty fluid. Tons of variables. But in anycase...the "blueprint" here is to try and move them both. I think 5-6 picks could be got for them. And then secondly.....I'm willing to take a couple stinker contracts back as well....for picks of course. Would the bulls move LaVine for DLo's one-year deal....some other 1-year deal......and give us a pick? Any sorta 2-3 year contract that I could gobble up...for a pick, I'd do. See if we can't get ourselves about 8 picks when all told. But maybe Lebron stays...maybe we only get 5 when all said and done...but whatever....go get as many picks as possible.

And then start drafting! Package 2-3 of these picks for one lottery one. Or draft a ton of guys. That's up to the brain trust. I'd of course fire our entire FO...but I don't think that happens. So we hope someone can spot talent.

Yes....it'll prob be 2-3 years before some of these guys start to turn into gold. Yes...we'll have a bunch of these 2-3 year stinkers to wait out. But coming out of that 3 year window....I'd like to think we'd have a nice package of new talent....with several more picks waiting in the future. It could not work out....we might draft the next Ant man. That's the price of admission. But with 6-7 extra picks, you have alot of options....you have the ability to move up in the draft....I just think it's a MUCH MUCH better position to be in, come rebuild time...which we all admit is coming. And since I can all but guarantee this team won't win a title....by the time we pull the plug on this team (AD will be 33-34, and have none of that wonderful trade value by then).....we'd be already coming out the other side, if we'd started now.

Having all these picks, and after a couple years...cap space. We can now sign or trade for a star. We can use some of those picks for trades ourselves. Options options options!

And I'll close with this: Don't you think a team with some young promising guys (all tradable)...an additional 2-3 picks....tons of cap space would look kind of enticing to a FA who maybe sat with his team for 6 years and was not getting the help he needed? Just floating that.....we'd be a pretty enticing destination. Much more so, than our current situation....as this offseason proved.

So I'd keep it very fluid. Go where opportunity takes us. But it all starts by trying to get any and all picks possible....knowing it's a rebuild...so the next 2-3 years are gonna be rough. I admit it.

[Anderson Hunt]

The bottom line is that the Lakers have two stars but neither is a closer. Neither James nor Davis can be relied upon to score down the stretch as a game-breaker. Davis is best served as a number two scorer, and James is best served as a number three scorer.

If the goal is to make one last run with James and Davis, the Lakers need a stone-scorer, a guy who can average 25 a game, close games down the stretch, and is physically capable of defending at an average level.

He doesn't have to be a leader. He doesn't even have to be designated the best player on the team. He just needs to put the ball in the basket at a very high level, shoot around 40 percent from three on high volume, and defend his man at a passable level (better than Reaves and Russell).

Out of guys who are reported to be on the block, Simons qualifies, LaVine qualifies, Beal qualifies, Ingram qualifies, Herro qualifies, and LaMelo Ball qualifies.

Beal and LaVine would be the easiest to attain. Both could be gotten with a first round pick attached. Beal is the better player.
LaVine has the better contract.

Both guys could be acquired for spare parts (any combo of Russell, Hachimura, Vanderbilt, and Vincent).

I believe this team needs a scorer who is physically capable of playing adequate defense (even if they haven't necessarily shown it while playing on bad teams).

Because I think they're a scorer away, I make the splash and built-out depth with the newfound smorgasbord of minimum salary-level talent now available as a consequence of the second apron penalties. I have no doubt they could build-out a proper bench and supporting cast with three guys getting paid 50 million a piece.

[DanishLakerFan]

But you want to rebuild. That's great. Does that wish come with an actual plan?

Some respectable points in your post, btw. I agree it will be near impossible to get guys as good as AD and Lebron. I also share serious doubts about this FO getting anything right. But I would counter by saying that we're gonna go down the rebuild road whether we like it or not, in about 3 years max anyhow. If we go into a rebuild with nothing but our picks....you really gotta nail it. Something our FO won't do. But by having alot of extra picks.......I think you get it. The math improves.

As for plan....well the first thing I'd do is try and get 3-4 picks for AD. I think we could do that. Young talent works as a pick too...I'll take either. Given what Gobert and the dude from Brooklyn got traded for...I think 4 picks is super doable. Next I'd try and move Lebron to Phoenix (with Durant) or GS (Curry). I think Lebron would be open to playing either place (especially once we decide to blow it up and move AD)....there would certainly be title aspirations, and they are like 40-45 min flights back home. Dunno...I think it could be done.

But maybe not. Maybe Lebron says "F**K it...im gonna play this last year here with my son, and im out." <------ for reasons like this, ones "Plan" has to be pretty fluid. Tons of variables. But in anycase...the "blueprint" here is to try and move them both. I think 5-6 picks could be got for them. And then secondly.....I'm willing to take a couple stinker contracts back as well....for picks of course. Would the bulls move LaVine for DLo's one-year deal....some other 1-year deal......and give us a pick? Any sorta 2-3 year contract that I could gobble up...for a pick, I'd do. See if we can't get ourselves about 8 picks when all told. But maybe Lebron stays...maybe we only get 5 when all said and done...but whatever....go get as many picks as possible.

And then start drafting! Package 2-3 of these picks for one lottery one. Or draft a ton of guys. That's up to the brain trust. I'd of course fire our entire FO...but I don't think that happens. So we hope someone can spot talent.

Yes....it'll prob be 2-3 years before some of these guys start to turn into gold. Yes...we'll have a bunch of these 2-3 year stinkers to wait out. But coming out of that 3 year window....I'd like to think we'd have a nice package of new talent....with several more picks waiting in the future. It could not work out....we might draft the next Ant man. That's the price of admission. But with 6-7 extra picks, you have alot of options....you have the ability to move up in the draft....I just think it's a MUCH MUCH better position to be in, come rebuild time...which we all admit is coming. And since I can all but guarantee this team won't win a title....by the time we pull the plug on this team (AD will be 33-34, and have none of that wonderful trade value by then).....we'd be already coming out the other side, if we'd started now.

Having all these picks, and after a couple years...cap space. We can now sign or trade for a star. We can use some of those picks for trades ourselves. Options options options!

And I'll close with this: Don't you think a team with some young promising guys (all tradable)...an additional 2-3 picks....tons of cap space would look kind of enticing to a FA who maybe sat with his team for 6 years and was not getting the help he needed? Just floating that.....we'd be a pretty enticing destination. Much more so, than our current situation....as this offseason proved.

So I'd keep it very fluid. Go where opportunity takes us. But it all starts by trying to get any and all picks possible....knowing it's a rebuild...so the next 2-3 years are gonna be rough. I admit it.

For sure there is a time to rebuild. Just dont think we are there yet. The Lebron-AD duo is still the best in the league (in my opinion) and it could take half a decade to find something that will approach their level. Much easier to make moves around those two right now, than the rebuild (especially since Jeanie is incompetent and never would build through the draft (tank)).

Making sure we only trade for 2yr deals and preferrably deals that are cheap or rookie deals, so that there is a chance to add a max-level player in 2026 should be the target.

Now, should Lebron take an real step back or suffer a major injury, then they should be ready to move on. And they obviously shouldn't be giving him the same extension they gave Kobe, which essentially ruined any chance to retool around an aging Kobe coming off a major injury and set the team back a decade. Not sure if they pulled off a stealth-tank job or if it was complete and utter incompetence that landed them a handfll of high picks that allowed them to retool with Lebron, but it was a miseable time to be a Laker nonetheless.

[Godfather13]

The obvious conclusion is that AD & Lebron have a far inferior roster and coaching,..../quote]

Had a title winning coach a few seasons ago. So that's boo-boo #1. If you were a Laker fan, you'd know that.

I mean it's that or you're just really a casual and just don't get how important those 6-8 other players and coaching are.

Discussion looking beautiful yet?

Not really....the complete lack of supporting cast is what I've been saying for 2 years. Said they couldn't get out from under it. And here we are. So nothing's changed. You didn't know we had a good coach....negating the coaching theory. So now that you do, maybe you can try again?

What?

You've been saying that for 2 years, but yet choose to use the Lakers record as an indictment against AD-Lebron alone? That makes sense

And you did a Kamala about the coaching thing. Can you rephrase?

[Godfather13]

Comparing an NBA season to what is essentially an exhibition in the Olympics is just silly on the surface. A few NBA level players sprinkled through country teams they have some loose association with against the US which is the top 90% of BB talent and we're supposed to believe it's relevant to the NBA? It's the Globetrotters against the Generals. I'm actually surprised at the competitiveness of the games the US is playing more than anything.

Two players, who've played together for a few hundred games, looking in sync in the context of teams playing together for less than 30 games is important how in terms of the Lakers success?

The Bron/Davis duo has been swept out of the playoffs a couple times and didn't even make them one other. Others will keep blaming the supporting cast but over half the points, attempts and minutes played are by the central 2 stars.

More proof that my guy here hasn't watched basketball since the 70s, yet constantly decides to waste RealGM's AWS storage with utter nonsense