Would you sacrifice the Lakers 2019 pick for...?

[Mr Magic Fan]

Which teams can the Lakers realistically pass to become a playoff team? If you forecast the West I think it looks like this: GSW, Spurs, HOU, Jazz are stable and IMO playoff locks. DEN and TWolves have better young talent. POR and NOP should be competitive as well. The only teams with uncertain futures are LAC, OKC, MEM but there is no guarantee they take a step backwards. With all things considered I think there is a very good chance LA is still in the lottery in 2 years.

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Free agency can change things in a hurry.

Injuries happen, team chemistry doesn't always roll over into the next season. So many factors at play that it's hard to say "well they're talented so they can't be passed"...

I agree things can change, but forecasting I'd say there is greater than a 50% chance the Lakers are not in the playoffs in 2 years.

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[drsd]

Free agency can change things in a hurry.

10M coming off of the books this year, and Deng and Mozgov on hourglass contracts (another 2M in "savings").

The year after: up to 30M could come off of the books.

Over the next two years, the Lakers might come out with 3 Max contract players; two are near certain. Add that to Mozgov, Russell and Ingram, LAL is likely to compete for the playoffs very, very fast.


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[ralphie9898]

Which teams can the Lakers realistically pass to become a playoff team? If you forecast the West I think it looks like this: GSW, Spurs, HOU, Jazz are stable and IMO playoff locks. DEN and TWolves have better young talent. POR and NOP should be competitive as well. The only teams with uncertain futures are LAC, OKC, MEM but there is no guarantee they take a step backwards. With all things considered I think there is a very good chance LA is still in the lottery in 2 years.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

Free agency can change things in a hurry.

Injuries happen, team chemistry doesn't always roll over into the next season. So many factors at play that it's hard to say "well they're talented so they can't be passed"...

Exactly we know very little about how good or bad the 2019 Lakers pick will be. It very well could be just two second rounders or be a pick in the 20s. I will take the more certainty in having atop three pick this year then in a pick that is far less certain.

[ralphie9898]

Free agency can change things in a hurry.

10M coming off of the books this year, and Deng and Mozgov on hourglass contracts (another 2M in "savings").

The year after: up to 30M could come off of the books.

Over the next two years, the Lakers might come out with 3 Max contract players; two are near certain. Add that to Mozgov, Russell and Ingram, LAL is likely to compete for the playoffs very, very fast.


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yep they have some room this year but would be better off waiting another year to go after two bigger guys so we shall see. Magic and the somewhat settled owner situation could get LA back in the running for some guys to come over and at make them at least a playoff team. It will be settled in a few weeks if we even get that pick at all. If we do then we gotta simply wait and see as a guess even educated as it may be is still a guess.