Brian Windhorst: Gordon Hayward is 1A target for Lakers in 2017 free agency

[Fresh360Waves]

So we're going to go after a player whose position is already filled with Deng (overpaid) and Ingram.

This is why Mitch needs to go.

Hayward can play the 2, but regardless, don't think he comes to LA anyways.

[ALL HAIL]

Meyers Leonard and Ant Davis were also guards too until their massive growth spurts....

Ingram was a stretch four for most of the season at Duke and wasn't really able to create space against D1 Sfs until Jefferson got injured and he changed positions.

Well truthfully most guys before they reach the pros played some form of guard. But AD played it up until his junior of HS, so his skills for ball handling are pure as any lead guard in the league. Same with Brandon, he's more natural on the point than any other position on the floor.

And I've never put a lot of stock into positions guys play in college, I can tell the minute I see them play where they should play as a pro. As you said Brandon couldn't get separation even in college as a 3. Unless he can get to about 225 in the next 3 or 4 years that's the only way I see him playing a little 4.

He'll get to 225 Big D. Remember Elden Campbell's rookie year? He wasn't quite as skinny, but he was all of 215 at 6'11 soaking wet. After three years, Campbell had put on twenty pounds of muscle and was pushing 240.

Ingram will be bigger, more muscular, and stronger than Durant, who was as skinny as Ingram.

Ingram has crazy wide shoulders. He'll put on the weight and wear it well, starting with his lower body.

Don't be surprised to look up one day and see Ingram looking like a mix between late Scottie Pippen and Dwight Howard.

[TKainZero]

Would be terrible
Mozgov/deng 3.0

But at least he is alright
Doesn't dit

[Pointgod]

Yawn. This is the fake hustle the front office goes through every offseason. Go after a big name free agent even though we have nothing to offer them other than "Hey we're the Lakers". Once they rebuff our offer we'll sign a washed up player ala Deng or Mozgov. Same thing every offseason

[TylersLakers]

1) Kyle Lowry: Max contract
2) George Hill: 3 year deal, starting at 12M
3) Patty Mills: 3 year deal, starting at 12M

I don't see Hayward even contemplating us.

[Spens1]

Not sure what chance we have at him. Boston want him REALLY badly and they've coverted him for years.

It would be great of course if we landed up him but i wouldn't get our hopes up

[Ballerhogger]

Yawn. This is the fake hustle the front office goes through every offseason. Go after a big name free agent even though we have nothing to offer them other than "Hey we're the Lakers". Once they rebuff our offer we'll sign a washed up player ala Deng or Mozgov. Same thing every offseason

It's Brian the lebron reporter talkig about this . If it was Wojnarowski fine. Don't believe everything you read guys .

[Pointgod]

Yawn. This is the fake hustle the front office goes through every offseason. Go after a big name free agent even though we have nothing to offer them other than "Hey we're the Lakers". Once they rebuff our offer we'll sign a washed up player ala Deng or Mozgov. Same thing every offseason

It's Brian the lebron reporter talkig about this . If it was Wojnarowski fine. Don't believe everything you read guys .

Look at the past few years of free agency. This is the pattern of the Lakers to a tee. Go after big names even though they don't have a snowballs chance in hell and then end up resigning our own mediocre players or overpaying washed up guys. Hayward is just the new target of the same futIle plan.

[Landsberger]

Let's see.... slow day at the Windhorst office... Let's make something up about the Lakers... they are struggling again and they also have the biggest fan base so if I come up with something that they like I can get a lot of clicks...

This type of stuff comes up every year and the Laker fans are the biggest targets. The NBA media has to have Laker stories or posts that generate clicks to survive since 25% of all the NBA fans are Laker fans and another 50% hate the Lakers enough to click.

In the "instant media" era I can count a couple hundred similar "reports" that never came close to being real.

[dockingsched]

Did he even say Hayward is likely to come to lakers or even going to consider lakers? Thought it was just about the Lakers targetting Hayward. I don't think he even put this in writing as click bait. Lots of people jumping to a lot of conclusions about Windhorst just cause they don't like what he said.

[Landsberger]

I couldn't care less about what he said. It's just that this type of ambiguous post/article/tweet happens all the time with the Lakers. They are looking at someone.... or "reports" are that they like so in so... That stuff doesn't generate clicks in Memphis but it does when it's the Lakers.

Hayward is a great player. I'd love his arrival in Lakerland but it doesn't pass the smell test at this time of the year.

As for targeting players.... I hope the front office is targeting every player in the league that makes this team better with trades and through FA. If they are doing their job correctly. That's the beauty in a post like this for this guy.... he knows he can't be wrong while knowing he has no real in depth information to report. A true reporter reports things that will be happening. Only a couple of those guys around the NBA and they never report on it more than a few days in advance.

[dipstick]

I don't even think we should be players in the 2017 free agency. I see us as 2018 to 2020 players.

Now until the end of 2017-18 season to build up our core to entice players like Paul George or Anthony Davis. Our opportunity is coming and if we keep developing our core then we could be very intriguing, add maybe Fultz and we could be too much to pass up for those 2 plyrs.

Sent from my SM-G930P using RealGM mobile app

The question is if we will still have cap room from 2018 to 2020. 2017 is the last cap spike and we would have to pay Julius in 2018
and Russell in 2019 and Ingram in 2020. Granted that you can get creative and create cap space, but 2017 is likely the last year that we have enough room to make a splash.

[SashaTheMachine]

Whoever we target in FA, hopefully Walton has a big influence in those meetings.

[gts1]

Why would he come here?

He wouldn't if his qualifying needs are/is to go to a contender. Just the silly season getting geared up early.

Seems the more these writers and bloggers turn to other forms or platforms of communication the more they ignore reality just to meet their daily quota

The NBA/sports reporting world has more people covering it than ever before yet we still have the same number of teams with the same number of players on each roster.

There's only so much real factual news to go around




Sent from my iPhone using pure dumb luck

[Asianiac_24]

I'm all for going after Hayward, as I don't see Clarkson as our long term SG. As long as it does not affect the development of Russ/Ingram/Randle I'm all for it.

[Pointgod]

He ain't coming.

[stan francisco]

When Winded Horse once predicts a Laker trade that happens, I might read his rumors after that.