We finna get Kyrie-d

[John Murdoch]

Lakers do have urgency to get Kyrie now I think. I think Lakers will end up overpaying for him. Just too much to lose if they don't. If they can secure birdrights then they have Kyrie, Reaves, THT, LeBron, Davis -- Nunn locked in for the next 2-3 years.

Nets want to dump Harris...means THT has to be involved

[zimpy27]

Lakers do have urgency to get Kyrie now I think. I think Lakers will end up overpaying for him. Just too much to lose if they don't. If they can secure birdrights then they have Kyrie, Reaves, THT, LeBron, Davis -- Nunn locked in for the next 2-3 years.

Nets want to dump Harris...means THT has to be involved

It doesn't have to be.

Russ at $47m can legally match up to 25% more in incoming money which would be about $59m..

Kyrie+Harris equals less than $56m.


So the only reason they give THT the boot is because the FO are tight with their money.

If they move Russ then they'd be crazy to move THT. He showed real defensive promise at SF/PF and could easily become a LeBron backup as point forward.

[Eric Bieniemy]

Lakers do have urgency to get Kyrie now I think. I think Lakers will end up overpaying for him. Just too much to lose if they don't. If they can secure birdrights then they have Kyrie, Reaves, THT, LeBron, Davis -- Nunn locked in for the next 2-3 years.

Nets want to dump Harris...means THT has to be involved

It doesn't have to be.

Russ at $47m can legally match up to 25% more in incoming money which would be about $59m..

Kyrie+Harris equals less than $56m.


So the only reason they give THT the boot is because the FO are tight with their money.

If they move Russ then they'd be crazy to move THT. He showed real defensive promise at SF/PF and could easily become a LeBron backup as point forward.

Couldn't agree more with every word:

PG - Irving - Nunn
SG - Brown - Reaves - Walker
C - Davis - Jones - Gabriel
PF - James - Tucker - Anderson
SF - Johnson - Christie

... and if they get Harris (hard to believe):

PG - Irving - Nunn
SG - Reaves - Harris - Walker
C - Davis - Jones - Gabriel
PF - James - Tucker - Anderson
SF - Johnson - Brown - Christie

[zimpy27]

Kyrie, Reaves, LeBron, Davis, Bryant
Nunn, Lonnie, Harris, THT, Gabriel
Christie, Brown Jr, JTA, Jones

Just do Kyrie+Harris for Westbrook already.. lock the team in..


Problem is that the above team costs $24m over luxury line and last years was only $20m.. They don't want to spend that money..
Without the Westbrook for Kyrie+Harris trade the team has 14 guys and costs $16m over the luxury line..

Sad.

[Vae Victus]

I've been pimping this idea

3 way deal
LAL trades
Westbrook + THT
gets Kyrie and Harris

CHA trades
Hayward + Rozier
gets Westbrook + THT

BRK trades
Kyrie + Harris
gets Hayward + Rozier

Lakers get Kyrie and an overpaid sniper role player. Also shaves a few mil off the cap, thus saving a nice chunk of lux tax money which im sure Jeannie would appreciate.

Hornets clear a ton of future cap and take a shot at THT to develop and add to their core. They tank a year and then get back Miles Bridges after he serves his suspension. Thus having a LaMelo, high lotto pick, cheaply resigned Brides, THT, and tons of cap space to utilize.

Nets get 2 solid, although over paid players, to put around KD + Simmons. Also their team is balanced enough where if they have to trade KD any package of decent players coming back will let them remain a decent squad.

Everyone gets something they need, and anyone demanding unprotected future FRPs can just go stfu.

The Laker hater brigade are all like, "Lakers need to give up 2 unprotected FRPs to dump Westbrick". ****, thats only if we get true impact players would we ever give up such a steep price. We're better off just keeping WB and hoping things work out instead of nuking out future like that.

What's annoying is everyone fronting how their packages are worth more and that LAL should be forking out unprotected FRPs to equalize values. **** idiots.

[SlimShady83]

Actually kind of don't want Kyrie on this team ... I'm secretly hoping we get Turner and Hield

[Danny Darko]

I want to stop mortgaging the future for anyone on this current team. I'd rather keep the pick and get the space if there is no viable not old risky or bizarre person trades to be had. I'm not so needy that I can't wait through another **** year if it means we aren't continuously trying to get one year of contending living hand to mouth with a bear trap at the end of the season every damn year.

This right here:

Read on Twitter

[Slava]

Kyrie, Reaves, LeBron, Davis, Bryant
Nunn, Lonnie, Harris, THT, Gabriel
Christie, Brown Jr, JTA, Jones

Just do Kyrie+Harris for Westbrook already.. lock the team in..


Problem is that the above team costs $24m over luxury line and last years was only $20m.. They don't want to spend that money..
Without the Westbrook for Kyrie+Harris trade the team has 14 guys and costs $16m over the luxury line..

Sad.

I think the cash flow would have improved quite a bit with fans back in arenas, so they'll have far lesser reservations putting more money into the team. Last offseason there was still way too much uncertainty over how many fans will be allowed back and if it is a multiyear pandemic with lockdowns every few months.

[Ball so hard]

I want to stop mortgaging the future for anyone on this current team. I'd rather keep the pick and get the space if there is no viable not old risky or bizarre person trades to be had. I'm not so needy that I can't wait through another **** year if it means we aren't continuously trying to get one year of contending living hand to mouth with a bear trap at the end of the season every damn year.

This right here:

Read on Twitter

Agree with this. I’m ok riding out the year with current roster and look to rebuild next offseason.

[sonnyhill]

I want to stop mortgaging the future for anyone on this current team. I'd rather keep the pick and get the space if there is no viable not old risky or bizarre person trades to be had. I'm not so needy that I can't wait through another **** year if it means we aren't continuously trying to get one year of contending living hand to mouth with a bear trap at the end of the season every damn year.

This right here:

Read on Twitter

Agree with this. I’m ok riding out the year with current roster and look to rebuild next offseason.

100% in agreement with this more strategic approach towards roster building.

Having only signed 3 more Klutch clients onto the Laker roster this off-season may indicate that the front office wants to run it back with the LeBron-AD-Westbrook troika.

If AD can do the necessary off-season work and stay healthy during the season, what is the ceiling of this team?

Perhaps Phil will be proven to be correct by guiding the franchise to embrace, instead of trading away, Westbrook.

As long as LeBron can stay healthy and not be counted on to provide lock-down defense, he is a huge net positive for any team that he plays on.

[Liam_Gallagher]

I think the team should stand pat. Kyrie seems like a headcase and I don't want to ruin next season's free agency plans because Joe Harris is taking up $18M in 2024.

G - Westbrook [32]/Nunn [19]
G - Walker IV [23]/THT [22]
F - James [32]/Reaves [22]/Brown Jr.
F - Davis [34]/JTA [14]/Johnson/Gabriel
C - Bryant [24]/Jones [12]

[Slava]

I think the team should stand pat. Kyrie seems like a headcase and I don't want to ruin next season's free agency plans because Joe Harris is taking up $18M in 2024.

G - Westbrook [32]/Nunn [19]
G - Walker IV [23]/THT [22]
F - James [32]/Reaves [22]/Brown Jr.
F - Davis [34]/JTA [14]/Johnson/Gabriel
C - Bryant [24]/Jones [12]

I don't understand the 2023 cap space idea. WHo's even the big catch there? If you take out LeBron and Russ, the next best free agent is Irving himself and its barren beyond that, unless we are planning to target Wiggins or D'Angelo. Even the biggest names in 2024 that are under 30, like DeJounte Murray, Jaylen Brown or Domantas Sabonis are likely to extend with their teams prior to that.

[SK21209]

What exactly is "the cost" of giving up the two firsts? The overwhelming likelihood is that any player taken with our picks in 2027 or 2029 will never be as good as a 30 year old Kyrie Irving who doesn't show up to work sometimes. 2027 is five seasons from now. If you look at the top 10 picks over the last handful of drafts, half of them straight up suck. Go beyond the top 10 and you'll see names you forgot years ago. We also have no idea what the team is going to look like in 2027, would you have believed in 2014 that in 5 years we'd have the last pick in the draft by winning the championship?

Also, next season's free agency plan is Kyrie. There's no one else unless Embiid decides to leave. If you can get Kyrie/Harris for Russ/THT/two firsts that in all likelihood will never play in an all star game, you do it. At least with LeBron/AD/Kyrie you have a chance in a Western conference that is really deep but not insurmountable.

[Slava]

The problem isn't giving it up for Irving, the problem is not having picks when you need to trade them to upgrade either at the trade deadline for a wing defender or sometime in the near future when you have another max player to pair with Davis.

[Pointgod]

I want to stop mortgaging the future for anyone on this current team. I'd rather keep the pick and get the space if there is no viable not old risky or bizarre person trades to be had. I'm not so needy that I can't wait through another **** year if it means we aren't continuously trying to get one year of contending living hand to mouth with a bear trap at the end of the season every damn year.

This right here:

Read on Twitter

You’d think we would have learned with the Westbrook trade. Lakers dug the hole with Westbrook and trading draft picks for Kyrie is like using dynamite to dig your way out of that hole. Lakers think they can cut corners to a championship and that’s just not the reality. Ask Brooklyn how that worked out.

[Kilroy]

Here's my biggest question with the Brooklyn saga... They just acquired Simmons and are finally about to get a full season with him healthy... But it's now that Kyrie and KD want out?
I mean, I know Simmons has had his ups and downs, but when healthy, he's at least a top 10 player in the NBA and still young...

So why want out now?

Either Simmons is significantly NOT healthy... And generally, players will stick by another player who's rehabbing, if they think they'll be good soon... Or Simmons has made it clear he's still not sold on Brooklyn...

I'm inclined to believe the latter.... I think Simmons still wants to force his way to LA somehow. And maybe that's why Kyrie is so focused on LA too?

[bb22]

Prob not popular, but I live in the moment and I wanna see a title shot now. There’s no dynasty out there that’s dominating now and a clear favourite. It’s an opportunity. Give up the picks. A healthy trio of Lebron, AD and Kyrie is as good as any. If they really choke and are below 500 by mid season, just trade them all for a bunch of picks and rebuild lol.

[MAMBAEMD]

I've gone back and forth with the notion of riding out the year with Russ and "rebuilding" once his and LBJ's contracts expire vs making a big trade for either Kyrie and Harris, or Hield and Turner, or Hayward and Rozier, if these are even possible.

And I'm landing on going for it and making a trade.

Out of the ones I've listed (and are most rumored) I think the Hield and Turner one makes the most sense for both short and intermediate term.

I tend to be a conservative person in general and would normally advocate for starting a rebuild.
But we have arguably two of the top 10 players in the league in LBJ and AD.
They've proven that with the right support, they can be contenders and win it all.
These types of opportunities don't come around very often in this league, although as Laker fans we've been more fortunate than most teams in that we always seem to land some of the best players in the league.

Remembering Dr. Buss and asking myself what he would have done, I can almost guarantee that he would have gone for it and approved a major trade to position the team to go for a ring.

I really think that's what Jeanie wants to do also.
A big difference is that Dr. Buss had Jerry West who was a brilliant GM.

I would not give up two firsts for Kyrie, and if that's what it takes, I'd find a 3rd or 4th team to send a 1st to NJ.

I realize this is in a way, mortgaging the future. But when you have AD and LBJ, I really think you swing for the fences.

[LAKESHOW]

I've gone back and forth with the notion of riding out the year with Russ and "rebuilding" once his and LBJ's contracts expire vs making a big trade for either Kyrie and Harris, or Hield and Turner, or Hayward and Rozier, if these are even possible.

And I'm landing on going for it and making a trade.

Out of the ones I've listed (and are most rumored) I think the Hield and Turner one makes the most sense for both short and intermediate term.

I tend to be a conservative person in general and would normally advocate for starting a rebuild.
But we have arguably two of the top 10 players in the league in LBJ and AD.
They've proven that with the right support, they can be contenders and win it all.
These types of opportunities don't come around very often in this league, although as Laker fans we've been more fortunate than most teams in that we always seem to land some of the best players in the league.

Remembering Dr. Buss and asking myself what he would have done, I can almost guarantee that he would have gone for it and approved a major trade to position the team to go for a ring.

I really think that's what Jeanie wants to do also.
A big difference is that Dr. Buss had Jerry West who was a brilliant GM.

I would not give up two firsts for Kyrie, and if that's what it takes, I'd find a 3rd or 4th team to send a 1st to NJ.

I realize this is in a way, mortgaging the future. But when you have AD and LBJ, I really think you swing for the fences.

Now is the Time!

[TylersLakers]

The Spurs were mentioned by Woj today as a 3rd team and lots of chatter around salaries in Brooklyn. The only trade I can see happening there is:

To Lakers: Irving, Harris
To Nets: THT, Josh Richardson, Nunn, x2 2nd round picks from LAL
To Spurs: Reaves, Westbrook, 2027 1st (Top 3 Protected) from LAL.

The Nets save $27.8M in salary, get a couple second round picks and some valuable players.
The Spurs get Reaves (seems like a real Spurs-y type player) and a 2027 1st for taking on Westbrooks salary
The Lakers get Irving and Joe Harris. They also SAVE $8.5M. Kinda matters to this organization apparently.

Irving/Walker/
Harris/Christie/
LeBron/Brown/Stanley
AD/JTA/Gabriel
Bryant/Jones/

If that happened, I'm sure they'd sign a veteran guard. I could see Bledsoe coming on board (Klutch). Maybe you promote Swider or Pippen Jr. to the big club with a standard NBA contract. Jeremy Lamb is still out there - a veteran who could fill a roster spot and hit some open shots. If we gave up a 2nd first round pick.. could we also get Curry?