2019 Off-Season Questions

[NYG]

1. Who are your free agents and what percentage would you put on them re-signing?

2. What are your team needs and the overall short term goals of the team?

3. Is there any reason your coach may not be in place next year?

4. Who are you willing to trade?

[Vae Victus]

1. FAs of note
Rondo - depends on his willingness to take the room exception after the team fills out
KCP - 0%
Muscala - 0% can shoot up if he takes the vet min after roster fills out
Lance - 0% ^
Bullock - 0% ^^
McGee - 0% think he wants to get paid after this

2. Obtaining elite talent by any means possible, jedi mind trick one of KD/Kawhi/Kyrie to join via FA. Trade the farm for AD right after

3. Luke Walton is a dead man walking. He hasnt shown much to be considered even an avg coach and its clear the vets dont like him, if Lebron is one of em, he ded. Luke needs to pull a rabbit out of his ass in the playoffs to stick around

4. Literally everyone for AD, right after a max FA signs.

[danfantastk32]

Ideally, I'd like to try and work out getting AD without giving up everyone. If we were able to do a S&T for a FA that New Orleans wanted, perhaps we could package just 1 young guy, and a first rounder. (I wrote about this earlier....E-Bledsoe / Ingram / 1stround for AD was my example). If we were able to do something like that, then I say we get greedy, and try to sign that 3rd guy. I think that 3rd guy will come easy if we get AD first. If we do get that 3rd guy...then just fill in with vets.

If no AD...then I think we need to shoot for Kawhi. Then Durant, Then Klay, Then Kyrie....in that order.

If nothing happens, then I think the Lakers need to sit down and figure out if they actually have anything of value. The young guys are going to start hitting their 2nd contract soon. Do we keep? Do we trade for picks....trade Lebron for picks, and just reboot the whole damn thing?

I'm hopeful we can get someone somehow. But if not...the window for Lebron will close before we ever get things figured out. So prob our best bet at that point is to trade him to a team hoping to have a swing at a title (how Ironic if we traded to OKC), and get picks back. We'll just have to evaluate each young guy as their new deal comes up, and decide if they are worth the price.


What will realistically happen if no stars come? We'll go get a guy like Bledsoe, and try to pass it off as a big catch. Prob build a team thats a little better at shooting, and talk about the big strides our young guys made in the offseason.

[Vae Victus]

If no stars come during 2019 FA, then the team is literally dead. That means EVERYONE who thought our youth was dogcrap has been totally vindicated and we're gonna get clowned on for years. Other GMs are gonna treat our youth as toxic waste and we wont get anything of value for them.

That's the nightmare scenario if Maginka cant close the deal on another top flight superstar to pair with Lebron. It really doesnt matter what happens next, thats basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. If there's no massive infusion of superstar talent by next season then Lebron's window has closed as Eastern powerhouses will be on the rise, while we have no answer. Also to rub salt in the wound in this nightmare, Demps trades AD to BOS for a pure crap (IE no Tatum) and BOS rises to one of the titans.

[dockingsched]

Biggest internal decision this off season will be the Brandon Ingram extension, both the amount and the timing. Probably deserves its own thread.

[Landsberger]

Biggest internal decision this off season will be the Brandon Ingram extension, both the amount and the timing. Probably deserves its own thread.

Yup.... re=signing him long term means that he's the face of the Lakers post Bron. My guess is that the decision will linger until the very last minute.

[tviper]

Biggest internal decision this off season will be the Brandon Ingram extension, both the amount and the timing. Probably deserves its own thread.

Yup.... re=signing him long term means that he's the face of the Lakers post Bron. My guess is that the decision will linger until the very last minute.

Lakers have until day before season starts, so I don't see why they would even broach the topic until they know whether: 1) a max FA was signed, and 2) AD was coming in a trade.

[warren weel im]

As of 20th February, this is how my thinking is at:

The Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Kings and Clippers look to be better-positioned at getting the 8 seed due to strength of schedule. Minnesota might even make it past LA or tie us, further complicating things. Lebron James doesn't look the same as when the season started. That could just be him "cruising" but he lacks the explosion he's always had prior to the groin injury. Him being at 80%, though still better than most guys at 120%, might not be enough to bring us to the playoffs. Then again, it's Lebron. Don't bet against him too much.

That being said, I think Luke gets to stay as Lakers coach till the season concludes. He will be given a graceful buyout by the end of the season as the Lakers spend the summer looking for a coach that will best fit the max they want to sign.

For all intents and purposes, I think a wing is what the Lakers will be going for big time. I believe Kawhi Leonard will be the real target. I have a feeling he might like it here. I have a feeling he is the best-case scenario. If the signing turned out to be either Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson, the next step is almost exactly the same.

In this scenario, full max to Kawhi. 32,400,000 - 4yrs 139M
Wesley Matthews on a 2-yr 13M deal, player option on year 2.
Javale McGee for room exception, 2-yr 10M deal, player option on year 2.

Ball - Hart - Kawhi - Lebron - McGee
Ingram - Bonga - Matthews - Kuzma - Wagner -

I would try to keep Ingram and sign him for a good extension as the team's defacto star off the bench earning a big money.
His presence off bench (and holding the ball surrounded by shooters) will allow the team to flourish with 2 superstars and a young one off the bench playing 30mpg.

[Landsberger]

As of 20th February, this is how my thinking is at:

The Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Kings and Clippers look to be better-positioned at getting the 8 seed due to strength of schedule. Minnesota might even make it past LA or tie us, further complicating things. Lebron James doesn't look the same as when the season started. That could just be him "cruising" but he lacks the explosion he's always had prior to the groin injury. Him being at 80%, though still better than most guys at 120%, might not be enough to bring us to the playoffs. Then again, it's Lebron. Don't bet against him too much.

That being said, I think Luke gets to stay as Lakers coach till the season concludes. He will be given a graceful buyout by the end of the season as the Lakers spend the summer looking for a coach that will best fit the max they want to sign.

For all intents and purposes, I think a wing is what the Lakers will be going for big time. I believe Kawhi Leonard will be the real target. I have a feeling he might like it here. I have a feeling he is the best-case scenario. If the signing turned out to be either Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson, the next step is almost exactly the same.

In this scenario, full max to Kawhi. 32,400,000 - 4yrs 139M
Wesley Matthews on a 2-yr 13M deal, player option on year 2.
Javale McGee for room exception, 2-yr 10M deal, player option on year 2.

Ball - Hart - Kawhi - Lebron - McGee
Ingram - Bonga - Matthews - Kuzma - Wagner -

I would try to keep Ingram and sign him for a good extension as the team's defacto star off the bench earning a big money.
His presence off bench (and holding the ball surrounded by shooters) will allow the team to flourish with 2 superstars and a young one off the bench playing 30mpg.

Ingram off the bench would be a very hard sell IMHO. Starting and being seen as a team leader leads to endorsements which is what it’s about with the younger players. We’ll see but my guess is if we sign a top 5 player at the wing position he will want to leave.

[RamonSessions7]

1. Only FA of our own we’d be keeping would be ones settling for min or our exceptions I’d imagine.

2. The goal is the same as it has been for a year plus and that’s to sign a second max level player to go with our first.

3. Think it’s highly likely Luke is gone unless we get to 7th seed, win a series, end on a successful high note.

4.Pretty much everyone is available for star power in trades, especially if a 2nd max joins Bron. Would love to keep Lonzo the most.

[Kilroy]

1. Only free agent I see us even trying to keep is Rondo, and I'd put that at about 20%... KCP is an outside possibility just because of the Lebron connection, but I'd put retaining him at about 5%

2. We need a second superstar first... Then we need shooters and defenders... But basically we're all-in to get a top tier player either via free agency (most likely) or via trade (highly unlikely). After that, we'll see what we need and act accordingly. Obviously our needs are different if we get an AD vs if we get a Kawhi... Etc...

3. Of course... Magic doesn't entirely like him, the jury's out on LeBron liking him and our record isn't great... That said, he SHOULD be back next season, I just don't know if he will.

4. Literally everybody... That said I think the off the market list looks like this in order of untradeableness... 1. LeBron, 2. Ball (don't read too much into the fact he was included in the AD deal) BIG GAP and then 3. Kuzma/Ingram (Kuzma is more trade friendly than Ingram, which is why we might trade him before Ingram but I don't think either is close to being as valuable to us as Ball)... ANOTHER HUGE GAP 4. Hart

[TylersLakers]

1. Who are your free agents and what percentage would you put on them re-signing?

KCP, Rondo, Muscala, Stephenson, Bullock, McGee, Chandler

I could see a couple of those guys back (Bullock, Chandler, KCP, Rondo) but it totally depends on whatever happens with the cap space. I can't see Stephenson or McGee back.

2. What are your team needs and the overall short term goals of the team?

Championship mode. They need to land a big fish in free agency, because that's what they promised and they let young assets walk out the door (Randle, Russell, Nance) to do so. Even if they end up trading for a superstar, it's a failure to me. I'd rank the top priorities as:

1) Land a superstar to pair alongside LeBron
2) Realize the mistakes of last year and fit the roster better around LeBron. Shooting is the biggest priority.
3) Making decisions on the young core: I personally think at least 2 of Ingram/Lonzo/Hart/Kuzma will be gone, regardless of whether or not they sign or trade for a free agent.

3. Is there any reason your coach may not be in place next year?

He will not be the coach next year barring some sort of crazy WCF run in the playoffs. Guaranteed.

4. Who are you willing to trade?

Everyone will be on the table to be traded other than LeBron. Every Laker fan is different how they prioritize the rest of the young core. I'd rank them from best to worst like this:

1) Lonzo Ball
2) Kyle Kuzma
- Significant drop-off -
3) Josh Hart
4) Brandon Ingram
5) Mo Wagner

[warren weel im]

As of 20th February, this is how my thinking is at:

The Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Kings and Clippers look to be better-positioned at getting the 8 seed due to strength of schedule. Minnesota might even make it past LA or tie us, further complicating things. Lebron James doesn't look the same as when the season started. That could just be him "cruising" but he lacks the explosion he's always had prior to the groin injury. Him being at 80%, though still better than most guys at 120%, might not be enough to bring us to the playoffs. Then again, it's Lebron. Don't bet against him too much.

That being said, I think Luke gets to stay as Lakers coach till the season concludes. He will be given a graceful buyout by the end of the season as the Lakers spend the summer looking for a coach that will best fit the max they want to sign.

For all intents and purposes, I think a wing is what the Lakers will be going for big time. I believe Kawhi Leonard will be the real target. I have a feeling he might like it here. I have a feeling he is the best-case scenario. If the signing turned out to be either Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson, the next step is almost exactly the same.

In this scenario, full max to Kawhi. 32,400,000 - 4yrs 139M
Wesley Matthews on a 2-yr 13M deal, player option on year 2.
Javale McGee for room exception, 2-yr 10M deal, player option on year 2.

Ball - Hart - Kawhi - Lebron - McGee
Ingram - Bonga - Matthews - Kuzma - Wagner -

I would try to keep Ingram and sign him for a good extension as the team's defacto star off the bench earning a big money.
His presence off bench (and holding the ball surrounded by shooters) will allow the team to flourish with 2 superstars and a young one off the bench playing 30mpg.

Ingram off the bench would be a very hard sell IMHO. Starting and being seen as a team leader leads to endorsements which is what it’s about with the younger players. We’ll see but my guess is if we sign a top 5 player at the wing position he will want to leave.

If we do sign Kahwi, then he seems expendable. His agent will surely be hunting for a deal on a team that will give him Giannis-type coverage of handling the ball and directing the offense as a starter, relying on his potential to become like Giannis in the future, with range.

That being said, it will commence a process in which teams will inquire about him while the Lakers find a suitable trade partner that will fit best beside Lonzo/Kuzma/Lebron/Kawhi, possibly/hopefully a SG like Beal.

[Pointgod]

If no stars come during 2019 FA, then the team is literally dead. That means EVERYONE who thought our youth was dogcrap has been totally vindicated and we're gonna get clowned on for years. Other GMs are gonna treat our youth as toxic waste and we wont get anything of value for them.

That's the nightmare scenario if Maginka cant close the deal on another top flight superstar to pair with Lebron. It really doesnt matter what happens next, thats basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. If there's no massive infusion of superstar talent by next season then Lebron's window has closed as Eastern powerhouses will be on the rise, while we have no answer. Also to rub salt in the wound in this nightmare, Demps trades AD to BOS for a pure crap (IE no Tatum) and BOS rises to one of the titans.

Well there’s still the trade route but that’s also highly dependent on who’s available. But I agree if we don’t sign any of the top 7 big names in the offseason this team is done. The worst waste of a superstar in recent memory.

[RamonSessions7]

If no stars come during 2019 FA, then the team is literally dead. That means EVERYONE who thought our youth was dogcrap has been totally vindicated and we're gonna get clowned on for years. Other GMs are gonna treat our youth as toxic waste and we wont get anything of value for them.

That's the nightmare scenario if Maginka cant close the deal on another top flight superstar to pair with Lebron. It really doesnt matter what happens next, thats basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. If there's no massive infusion of superstar talent by next season then Lebron's window has closed as Eastern powerhouses will be on the rise, while we have no answer. Also to rub salt in the wound in this nightmare, Demps trades AD to BOS for a pure crap (IE no Tatum) and BOS rises to one of the titans.

Well there’s still the trade route but that’s also highly dependent on who’s available. But I agree if we don’t sign any of the top 7 big names in the offseason this team is done. The worst waste of a superstar in recent memory.

Huh? Superstars are "wasted" all the time by teams who draft them. Usually the entirety of their early years through much of the heart of their primes and not the 34-37 yo years of their career which I would say makes it quite a bit worse. If the difference between wasting and not wasting a superstar requires him having a 2nd superstar, I'd question what exactly there was to waste to begin with.

[NYG]

Kuzma, Ball, Ingram, Lakers ‘19 1st, Bucks ‘19 1st, Bucks ‘22 2nd and Lakers ‘23 1st to NOP

AD, Ilyasova and Snell to LAL

TPE to MIL


??

You would still have $10 Million

[Pointgod]

If no stars come during 2019 FA, then the team is literally dead. That means EVERYONE who thought our youth was dogcrap has been totally vindicated and we're gonna get clowned on for years. Other GMs are gonna treat our youth as toxic waste and we wont get anything of value for them.

That's the nightmare scenario if Maginka cant close the deal on another top flight superstar to pair with Lebron. It really doesnt matter what happens next, thats basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. If there's no massive infusion of superstar talent by next season then Lebron's window has closed as Eastern powerhouses will be on the rise, while we have no answer. Also to rub salt in the wound in this nightmare, Demps trades AD to BOS for a pure crap (IE no Tatum) and BOS rises to one of the titans.

Well there’s still the trade route but that’s also highly dependent on who’s available. But I agree if we don’t sign any of the top 7 big names in the offseason this team is done. The worst waste of a superstar in recent memory.

Huh? Superstars are "wasted" all the time by teams who draft them. Usually the entirety of their early years through much of the heart of their primes and not the 34-37 yo years of their career which I would say makes it quite a bit worse. If the difference between wasting and not wasting a superstar requires him having a 2nd superstar, I'd question what exactly there was to waste to begin with.

What other teams do with their superstars is irrelevant to us. If you sign Lebron James the expectation is that you compete for championships. If you’re not doing everything you can to make that happen then why bother.

[RamonSessions7]

Well there’s still the trade route but that’s also highly dependent on who’s available. But I agree if we don’t sign any of the top 7 big names in the offseason this team is done. The worst waste of a superstar in recent memory.

Huh? Superstars are "wasted" all the time by teams who draft them. Usually the entirety of their early years through much of the heart of their primes and not the 34-37 yo years of their career which I would say makes it quite a bit worse. If the difference between wasting and not wasting a superstar requires him having a 2nd superstar, I'd question what exactly there was to waste to begin with.

What other teams do with their superstars is irrelevant to us. If you sign Lebron James the expectation is that you compete for championships. If you’re not doing everything you can to make that happen then why bother.

I agree we should be doing everything. Point was it wasn’t the worst in recent history, it happens regularly and even with us trying our best to do it, if those guys don’t want to sign with us (which could have something to do with not playing with said superstar) we are SOL

[Laker_Kid]

1. kcp has been utter disappoint. i had high hopes for him and thought he’d at least be one of our main role players. but instead we could waive him right this second and our team wont miss a beat. first order of business in the offseason must be to let kcp go.

2. i’d prioritize convincing kd or kawhi, klay, finally kyrie to sign. not sure who else is there beyond that.

3. extend Ingram to as far away to a max offer as possible. kid has a lot of work to do still.

4. hire a goddamn shooting coach.

5. hopefully, we could draft another steal

[Lakernut4ever]

The timing of the rumors about Draymond Green signing with Klutch Sports is a bad sign. He is not the former Warrior I'm wishing for the Lakers to sign instead of Klay or Durant.