TylersLakers wrote:MrDollarBills wrote:TylersLakers wrote:
I also think this is the most realistic deal, maybe Plumlee going to us or the Nets as well.
And I don’t think Mills is opting out. He’d be crazy to opt out. If he does that, he’s only getting a vet minimum somewhere.
Last season was so dysfunctional that I have no idea if Patty will want any part of the Nets outside of being here for Ben Simmons, who he is close to.
I like Mills but he's redundant since we have Seth Curry so I'd have no problem dealing him.
Yeah, I certainly don't think he'll be on the Nets. I imagine he'll opt-in to get his money and be traded either in this deal or a deal later in free agency.
I think the deal to make between the 3 teams is:
To Lakers: Irving, Mills, Plumlee
To Nets: Rozier, Hayward, future Lakers 2nd
To Hornets: Westbrook, Gabriel, 2027 Lakers 1st (Top 4 Protected)
Rozier/Hayward/KD/Simmons/Harris is a damn good closing line-up.
That trade is good too. If we get Irving in any variations of these trades, what do we do next? I think we have a dilemma on our hands with AD's reluctance to play center. If AD stays at power forward, then with Ham's 4 out/1 in offense, we need to either play Lebron at center or either sign or trade for a stretch 5. I'm not sure who this player is yet, but hopefully Lakers have a plan for this. I don't like the idea of AD "starting" at PF along side another non shooting and then sliding over to the 5 for most of his minutes. It just seems artificial and in a sense throwing shade at AD. I think if we decide to let AD be the PF, then we need to get a big that complements him and leave it at that. I mean if AD is going to play the majority of his minutes at the 5, then what is the point of starting him at PF for just a few minutes? Another thing that the Lakers could do is commit to having Lebron play center and then utilize their resources to acquire a defensive three and D wing via trade or free agency. Here is a list of starting caliber players at the top of my head that we could possibly get:
Stretch 5s
Bamba (We might have a chance. If Knicks sign Brunson with their space, they end up with only the room exception).
Lopez (Darvin Ham connection, but would Milwaukee trade him?)
Olynek (maybe?)
Bryant (maybe we get him with the MLE. Does he stretch the floor well enough to utilize the MLE on him though? Maybe).
Turner (unlikely Pacers trade him to us)
Love (too expensive to trade for, could he get bought out? Unlikely)
Ibaka (Darvin Ham connection, so maybe)
Dieng (lower tier candidate)
Cousins (lower tier candidate)
Vucevic (would Chi trade him for two local legends: THT and Nunn?).
Kleber (Unlikely Dallas trades with us).
Jalen Smith (a bit skinny, but has upside and could shoot)
Bertans (too skinny for center?)
Markaanan (see Bertans)
Bol (now we are reaching a little here).
Three and D wings (preferably with size) much smaller list. These are hard to find right now.
Barnes (ideal)
KCP (kind of small)
Kuzma (nahh)
Oubre (lacking in the 3 a bit)
Bogdanovic (no D)
Bullock (maybe?)
Porter (ideal)
Batum (sufficient)
Warren (question marks)
House (decent, but probably not starting caliber).
Jones (no 3)
Hood (would be disappointed)