RealGM

Who can/ who will the Lakers get to make a big 3 with AD and Lebron?

There's a bright red target on Kawhi Leonard now

Dr Aki wrote:There's a bright red target on Kawhi Leonard now

Totally forgot about him lol, added to poll

Kawhi won't turn this **** down. Clippers? LMAO. We'll keep Rondo and add Kawhi.

How much money do you guys have left looks like AD took 10 mill in the books can you max a 7-10 year pro player?

Edit actually with the 4th pick

more like 3 mill off the books

Kawhi is a total unknown. Given the fit and stated desire, I think Butler is most likely.

Would absolutely love Kawhi. Kemba makes a lot of sense. I think I’d rather have Kemba than Jimmy Butler.

DeRoma wrote:How much money do you guys have left looks like AD took 10 mill in the books can you max a 7-10 year pro player?

Trade won't be finalised until after free agency.

Lakers will still have as much cap space right now add they already did - 32.54 mil

tviper wrote:Kawhi is a total unknown. Given the fit and stated desire, I think Butler is most likely.

Clippers are relegated to 3rd in line after this.

Why would Kawhi choose perennial 1st round exits over trips to the finals every year?

Like throwing hundreds of millions of dollars off the Santa Monica pier

I'm guessing Jimmy Butler. I can see him adjust seamlessly playing behind Bron and AD. How? He did it with Simmons and Embiid.

Dr Aki wrote:

tviper wrote:Kawhi is a total unknown. Given the fit and stated desire, I think Butler is most likely.

Clippers are relegated to 3rd in line after this.

Why would Kawhi choose perennial 1st round exits over trips to the finals every year?

Like throwing hundreds of millions of dollars off the Santa Monica pier

I agree that if he comes home, he will play for the Lakers over the Clippers. The notion that he is more likely to come home now after winning a title for Toronto does make some sense. Just think Butler is the most likely as we sit here today.

We'll know more in the coming days.

Particularly as this news sinks in around the league and players start looking at the Clippers as the red headed step child that traded Griffin to Detroit after promising him a jersey in the rafters

Have I missed something? Who’s our second star?

If Kawhi ends up back in LA then i find it hard to believe he's going to pass up the chance to play with AD and Lebron for the Clippers. Especially since Lebron is close to the end and he'll have AD as a running mate for the next several years.

Noctilux wrote:Have I missed something? Who’s our second star?

Noctilux wrote:Have I missed something? Who’s our second star?

Lebron

Off that list;

Kemba plays no defense. No thanks.
D’Lo plays no defense. No thanks.
Kyrie plays no defense. No thanks.

Kawhi is injured but still a top two player in the league.
Klay will probably heal faster and more fully than KD.
Durant is injured and will never be the same, see Kobe.

That leaves me thinking that Pelinka is going for 1) Kawhi, 2) Butler.

Kuzma was my least favorite young Laker of the young trio, but he's seriously underrated in terms of moving without the ball. He's gonna be our third star in the way Klay Thompson is. He may not necessarily do all the running off screens and catch and shoot, but Kuzma's gravity is just as valuable and his ability to finish with a wide variety of hook shots, dunks, and just flat out attacking closeouts is a killer skillset.

His only flaw was he's not a defensive anchor in regards to securing the big rebound, providing rim protection, or taking charges. But everyone knows the third year is huge for big men in the NBA. He's going to make a jump and improve relatively and become a little better in those areas, similar to the way Randle went from terrible defender his first year, average defender 2nd year, and top level defender in his 3rd year. But Kuzma's defense is no longer a conversation starter, he's good on the ball already and now we got Anthony Davis to cover up all our flaws.

How about two players instead?