A hard proposal with the Lakers with an eye on the future

[evildallas]

This is a tough proposal and I expect to get ripped for it, but I think it positions us financially for the next off season to tweak the roster to become a real contender.

Josh Childress
Shelden Williams
Zaza Pachulia
Ty Lue

for
Kwame Brown
Jordan Farmar
Ronny Turiaf
2008 1st round (lottery protected)

We move 7M in contracts + our big cap hold for next off season. In return we get Farmar's 1M contract and a pick next year + 10M in expiring. Farmar should add some stability to the PG rotation and is shooting 39% from 3 pt range. Kwame/Turiaf is essentially a wash for Zaza/Shelden without commitments for the future. Defensively it might be upgrade. The 1st would be a low pick, but would give us an affordable prospect to replace Shelden as a backup big longer term (like Devon Hardin or Joey Dorsey).

The end result is some different skills for us this season (better outside shooting and different backup bigs) and the ability to make some moves in the off season when few other teams can. By my count we would be at 38M with Josh Smith's cap hold. Basically 25-26M under to spend on matching Josh Smith and adding additional pieces. The team would have the option of trying to add a major splash piece if they are willing to go over the cap to resign Smoove (Arenas?) or merely being able to outbid the midlevel on someone like Calderon (or Gordon) and leaving room to afford to extend Marvin. Provided the right moves are made in the off season, we can be a real contender next year.

It's hard to sell moving Childress because he's a good player and playing a lot of minutes, but it's financial realism. He has value to other teams to help us complete a deal (unlike the other pieces I'm trying to move). Resigning him in the off season for above the MLE would still leave us a flawed roster competing for the low end of the playoffs next season. I'm sure we could get something else for him around deadline time that would help more this year, but this proposal clears a lot of cap room.

Lineup for rest of season:
AJ/Farmar/Law
JJ/Law/West
Marvin/JJ/Smith
Smith/Horford/Turiaf
Horford/Brown/Wright

We could also sign a d-league swingman with range to possibly pick up some minutes at the 3 like Jeremy Richardson or Demarr Johnson. I'm not sure this lineup is any less likely to make the playoffs that our current roster.

Use your imagination on the off season moves since there would be many different possibilities.


Rip away.

[Skyhawk1]

I think the Hawks would be giving up too much there. I'd rather wait and see if we can get a deal that could brings a veteran who can either take care of things either at PG or C. I believe Shelden and maybe J. Chill would be part of any deal that could get us that guy, so I'd have to say no. The Lakers would do that trade in a hearbeat though IMO.

[conleyorbust]

I really doubt LA wants a peice of this. They take a big downgrade in their frontcourt and lose their biggest remaining asset in Kwame's contract so they can get Chil for a season. I think they might give up one of those two frontcourt players and Farmar or a pick for a package centering around Childress, Za/Shel, and an expiring. I'd be willing to do it too.

[evildallas]

I assumed they would resign Childress.

[mr_grabb]

I actually don't hate that trade.

I'm not a big fan of Kwame, and I do love Chill, but it's kinda understood that he (unfortunatly) must go before the trade deadline because we wont resign him this offseason. I agree that we must trade Zaza and Shel while they still have value. I like the fact that we a pick in return and a reliable big in Kwame, but I think we could have better for this package of players.

Farmar, IMO, will never be a good starting pg. Only a good reserve. He won't help us much here. And I don't think the Lakers are too high on Chill since they already have a similar player in Walton. They don't need Chill.

Im sure we can find a trade partner that would be more in need of a player like Chil, and who would give us more for him.

[Rip2137]

Ronny Turiaf would be the prize of this trade.

He is that Anderson Varajo, Noah type player that has high energy, can defend the post, damn good weakside shotblocker, will get you double digit rebounds, and has a very underrated offensive game.

His problem is that he fouls way too much, but that could be corrected.

I would be more than willing to give them Zaza, Lue, and Sheldon for Turiaf, Karl(we need his shooting) and whatever other trash they wanted to throw in the deal. I think that could realistically occur. I would give them a second rounder too if they wanted it.

[evildallas]

I don't have problems with it unless the trash has a long contract. My goal in dumping Zaza and Shelden is to make us a threat in free agency. Well, that and getting more consistency out of the back C spot. Both players have shown signs that they can play, but this year they aren't meshing with the system or the role or possibly with the evolution of the other players. Something isn't going right and scenery change should help everyone involved.

[conleyorbust]

I don't have problems with it unless the trash has a long contract. My goal in dumping Zaza and Shelden is to make us a threat in free agency. Well, that and getting more consistency out of the back C spot. Both players have shown signs that they can play, but this year they aren't meshing with the system or the role or possibly with the evolution of the other players. Something isn't going right and scenery change should help everyone involved.

All True, I just don't know whether other GMs still see any value in Shelden or Zaza. Are these guys damaged goods now? Would BK trade Shelden for a former second round pick?

[Rip2137]

Turiaf doesn't play like a second round pick though so I don't buy that logic.

I think it can be a forgone conclusion that Sheldon will never get major minutes here. Its just not going to happen. I think energy and defensively, Turiaf gives us what we need coming off the bench as a Center/PF while Sheldon, I think, is a Triangle guy. He comes from good coaching and I think he would be able to adjust in LA.

And I doubt Zaza is too damaged right now. I think people will just say he hasn't had enough minutes to get back into form because of that Horford kid, and they would/could be right.

He is a deal at his contract and the numbers he has proven to be able to put up.

If they weren't in the division I would send him to Orlando for JJ Redick and/or Brian Cook. Orlando wants help at the PF position and we need a shooter. Yeah, I know some will laugh at that, but at worse we get a shooter with shakey defense that can play spot minutes...can't be any worse than T.Lue and his 4-5 minutes of action.

I think one thing that people should grasp is that sometimes in making a better team you might have to trade a more talented player for a role player. Yes, i think even with his suckage, Zaza is better player than Brian Cook and JJ Redick, but they both fill a need. I actually think Turiaff is better than Zaza, but I think we would be sending more talent away in that deal I proposed, but we would be getting back needs.

Plus, its pointless to have talented guys that don't fill needs sitting on the bench.

[El Hardee]

As a Laker fan, I got to say know. The only thing good coming to us is JChill. Other than that I cant see why we would do that. This is a horrible trade for us.

[evildallas]

As a Laker fan, I got to say know. The only thing good coming to us is JChill. Other than that I cant see why we would do that. This is a horrible trade for us.

I think you are undervaluing how these players would fit into the triangle system.

[Rip2137]

I am not so sure about Zaza, but Sheldon is a triangle guy. He would florish there. Zaza...I don't know. Lue knows the triangle, although I don't know if you get much more from him that you would from Farmar, but he is at least a expiring contract.