Lakers24gm wrote:TylersLakers wrote:If Westbrook ACTUALLY stays.. which.. is completely unfathomable and reeks of Laker arrogance - The Lakers HAVE to trade THT. And if Malik Monk is back on the tax-payer MLE, then Westbrook has to be gone.
I hate this team.
You sound like me. There is no way I can watch this team next year if they run it back. There is no way they will compete with Russ.
It's so frustrating man how they've gone from a Championship contending team to a fringe playoff team in less than 12 months with the following moves:
- Trading every single remaining trade asset for a player who isn't good anymore
- Letting Alex Caruso walk and getting nothing in return
Even if you make the Westbrook trade and keep Caruso on a team-friendly deal, you still have another tradeable contract at the absolute WORST and at best you have a player who will play in every closing line-up for you.
If they don't make the Russ trade and instead trade Harrell/Kuzma for Hield - you still have KCP's contract that's extremely tradeable as you saw today. You also have a 2021 1st round pick and that player by now has shown promise or is another piece to be traded.
The Lakers management already threw away 2021-2022 when they did nothing at the trade deadline. If they don't attach a pick to Russ and trade him, they're going to be punting on 2022. And this is in LeBron James' 19th and 20th seasons in the NBA.
The Lakers front office is acting like their 1st round picks in 2027 and 2029 will be critical to their future team building without LeBron. Are you kidding me? That's not the Lakers. If those are high picks and the same people are somehow still in charge.. I don't want them. This organization and scouting department has excelled with late 1st rounders and 2nd round picks. When it comes to the top of the draft, they've mostly s**t the bed and fixed their mistakes by trading them ALL for Anthony Davis.
Free agency and trading for stars is the way the Lakers have always had success. There's no reason to pretend you're not what you are now for the sole purpose of having to admit the Westbrook move was an absolute failure.
If Westbrook is not actually going getting traded, they have to absolute HIT on veteran minimums, the tax payer MLE and a THT trade. There's probably only 1 or 2 scenarios where they can have success.
Scenario 1:
- Rumored Hield interest again and Indiana decides to trade Hield to the Lakers for Nunn, THT, Gabriel, second round pick.
- Sign Otto Porter for tax-payer MLE somehow. Taurean Prince extending was a massive blow.
- Sign defenders, athleticism, shooting with vet minimums.
- Russ/Hield/Porter/LeBron/AD starting 5 with Reaves, Stanley off the bench. For vet min additions you get Melo, Damian Jones, Schroder, Delon Wright
Scenario 2:
- Trade THT for Harkless/Holiday from Sacramento
- Sign Otto Porter for tax-payer MLE
- Russ/Holiday/Porter/LeBron/AD with Reaves, Nunn, Stanley, Harkless off bench. Vet min additions you get Melo, Damian Jones, Delon Wright, Patty Mills off bench
The only other scenarios involve trading Westbrook and if the Lakers aren't willing to sacrifice a Top 5 protected 1st round pick - it's not f***ing happening.
We might be quite bad from 2024 onward, so those picks are a part of our hope of turning things around then.
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