2019 Offseason Thread

[dtgold88]

Right. No doubt.

If it all works out... then it'll all works out.

That being said: 4 to 6 years in the future is a long way. So it's the risk and uncertainty that makes it scary for the Lakers.

Given that all the other potential suitors for Davis were balky and unwilling to fully commit... did Pelinka really have to make such concessions?

Good points, but even in the future, LA will still be LA as far as location and if they can clear cap space seems like they are as strong an attraction as anyone for a FA.

 

[dtgold88]

Sunday can't get here fast enough...

The rumors of stars willing to take the minimum to come here will be insane........Cannot wait.

 

[Gman]

Good points, but even in the future, LA will still be LA as far as location and if they can clear cap space seems like they are as strong an attraction as anyone for a FA.

Davis will eat up a huge chunk of that cap... so the main fear would be any injury to him, especially after he resigns next year.

 

[dtgold88]

...as they would be with these opportunities in front of them in any case. The Lakers have coveted AD long before Lebron came to town. Being able to sign Lebron and another max player, as well as trade for AD (and keep one promising young player) is maximizing the roster. Any credit for the team moving forward is Pelinka's alone as a GM, as he has was the guy to bring every one of these players (and soon to be teammates next week) to the Lakers.

Agreed.....though if Lebron does not want to live in LA and AD does not want to play with Lebron - and only Lebron/LA - not sure what he gets done.

Only actual thinking they had to do last summer was a failure....but fair to wonder how much of it was on Pelinka

 

[dtgold88]

I think the question most folks would ask is...

... how good did Pelinka have to be to get to the current state of affairs?

Hollywood brought LeBron into the fold. And LeBron brought AD into the fold.

The only area I see as 'real credit-worthy' for Pelinka thus far is keeping Kuzma in the fold... and I do credit him there, I think Kuz is gonna be a key role player for the Lakers... but there was a definite trade-off there in terms of future draft considerations. The Lakers gave up a lot to keep Kuz.

One can even wonder if that pick does not shoot up to 4 if he could have kept Kuzma....but I guess he did.

 

[dtgold88]

The Lakers have never been shy about throwing future draft picks into deals because (right or wrong) they assume that adding that great player will put those draft picks at the tail end of the first round. Ability to swap picks doesn't mean much if your pick is in the late 20s anyway. A future pick in the late 20s two years from now is a small price to pay. The rest of the cost (3 young players and the 2019 pick) was a given.

OK, but fairly certain most GMs adhere to that line of thinking.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Kevin Durant Rumors: Nets Aren't 'Front-Runners or Favorites' to Land Star in FA

Hmm interesting. I could so seeing KD going to not the Knicks or the Nets...but picking a team that is lowering on his list like the Clippers or something. As soon as people think they know what KD is thinking, he does something else.
I legitimately think he hasn't made up his mind yet. He could milk this for awhile.

 

[trojanfan12]

I still say not pushing to get that trade consummation date pushed to July 30th was a huge error.

We don't know that he didn't. What we do know is that July 6th was the date that the Pels wanted and the Lakers ultimately agreed. We don't know how much of a sticking point the date was.

So, I really don't see how it can be called a mistake since we don't know why that date was agreed upon.

But they gave up a ton with the distant future pick swaps and that lotto pick hitting at 4. Pushing for the trade consummation date that favored the Lakers should not have been a deal breaker. I heard Pelinka didn’t even bring it up in negotiations.

Heard from who? No one who was actually part of the negotiation has said anything. There was a lot assumed by a lot of people who are looking pretty clueless right now.

And of course they gave up a ton. They were getting a top 5 player in the league. Those tend to be expensive.

And dumping 3 nothing salaries to the Wizards is not a hard trade to execute. Pretty easy to find a team to take those contracts on. If any of them have negative trade equity, it is a negligible amount.

Easy or not, it still had to be done and he not only got them the cap space, but he also got the Wizards to give the Lakers cash on top of it.

So he traded 90% of his non-LeBron assets for a superstar when it didn’t appear that anyone else was seriously bidding on him and he dumped 3 cheap contracts that a lot of teams would be willing to take.

As you yourself said, when you have a chance to get a guy like AD, you give up whatever you have to. So, this doesn't qualify as a mistake.

He deserves some credit for for making the bold move to get AD. But I would be nervous right now if I were a Laker fan. Because Pelinka has not given me a reason to believe he is a competent GM. And now He is in charge of competing a roster that SHOULD be an elite team if done correctly. We shall see how he does it.

So you not being convinced that he could be a good GM is a mistake?

Pelinka is inexperienced, so we really have no idea how good he may be and a lot can still go wrong.

Just timing can go wrong. If he waits too long trying to "bag an elephant" and strikes out, there may not be many, if any, good role players to try to sign.

That makes me and other Lakers fans nervous, which it should. He has no track record to point to.

It's funny though. You claimed that he's made mistakes, but in your post the only "mistake" you came up with was something that we don't know if it was a mistake or not, because we don't know how much of a sticking point it was for the Pels.

And, end of the day, he added a top 5 player in the league to another top 5 player in the league and cleared the cap space the Lakers need to land a top FA or add 2 or 3 really good role players.

He may still end up being a terrible GM...but so far, so good.

 

[trojanfan12]

So... basically what we're saying is...

Pelinka and company should have been more aware of this way to create cap space in the present at the time the AD deal went down.

And now they've corrected the error they made by adding in a small bit of extra compensation.

Hardly the time to start patting Pelinka's back.

But he has a great chance right now to really earn some respect. The hard part is done... LeBron arrived, and AD followed... now all they got to do is not foul up rounding out the roster.

Short of Kawhi wanting to sign on... the Lakers should be strictly focused on 3+D guys at reasonable rates. We'll see if they make the right call.

Agree with much of this. He gets a pat on the back for getting AD and clearing the cap space. Now he just has to not fuck up who he puts around them.

Where I disagree (and it's a slight disagreement) is, I would add D-Lo to Kawhi as a player that the Lakers should grab if they can. Not because he's as good as Kawhi or ever will be. But because he's really good and only 23. He and AD would be a great combo to put other players around when Lebron retires.

 

[Black Adam]

Agree with much of this. He gets a pat on the back for getting AD and clearing the cap space. Now he just has to not fuck up who he puts around them.

Where I disagree (and it's a slight disagreement) is, I would add D-Lo to Kawhi as a player that the Lakers should grab if they can. Not because he's as good as Kawhi or ever will be. But because he's really good and only 23. He and AD would be a great combo to put other players around when Lebron retires.

agreed. it's one of the main reasons I want to see the Lakers get Dloading back as well, though others disagree with me...

gotta have more than AD here once LeClown hangs 'em up, and Russell still has some upside...

 

[Shanemansj13]

Stephen A. Smith: Kawhi Leonard "Seriously Considering" Lakers

 

[Black Adam]

Stephen A. Smith: Kawhi Leonard "Seriously Considering" Lakers

not gonna put a helluva lotta stock into what Screamin' A. says, but man, this crap seems like it's starting to get some legs...

 

[trojanfan12]

Remember when NBA contracts used to be 7 years long?

Heck, I can remember when Magic signed a 25 year $25 million contract with the Lakers.

 

[Shanemansj13]

not gonna put a helluva lotta stock into what Screamin' A. says, but man, this crap seems like it's starting to get some legs...

I mean he is just saying they are in the running. He has a meeting with them so anything can happen....still think he goes back to Toronto

 

[trojanfan12]

Davis will eat up a huge chunk of that cap... so the main fear would be any injury to him, especially after he resigns next year.

Isn't that always a fear with any star player? And don't all star players eat up a huge chunk of cap space.

 

[trojanfan12]

Agreed.....though if Lebron does not want to live in LA and AD does not want to play with Lebron - and only Lebron/LA - not sure what he gets done.

Only actual thinking they had to do last summer was a failure....but fair to wonder how much of it was on Pelinka

This could be said about any team and star player. If Lebron wasn't from NE Ohio and didn't promise Cavs fans a title, does he return to the Cavs.

Guys like Kyrie, KD, Kawhi, etc. leaving there current teams are all considered to be very strong possibilities. Do we think that any of them are going someplace they don't want to go to?

 

[Black Adam]

I mean he is just saying they are in the running. He has a meeting with them so anything can happen....still think he goes back to Toronto

oh I think the same. it's just that everyone and his brother seems to think the Lakers are in the running to grab him...

 

[trojanfan12]

OK, but fairly certain most GMs adhere to that line of thinking.

But folks only want to claim it was mistake when it was Pelinka with that line of thinking.

 

[trojanfan12]

Stephen A. Smith: Kawhi Leonard "Seriously Considering" Lakers

Screamin' A, huh?

This just confirms that Kawhi isn't coming to the Lakers.

 

[Gman]

Isn't that always a fear with any star player? And don't all star players eat up a huge chunk of cap space.

Yes, of course... but you're missing the context of the conversation there.

We were talking specifically about the long term draft considerations that the Lakers conceded to the Pelicans.

An injury to Davis, and those become very much a big deal.

So... should Pelinka have conceded as many of those as he did? Did he really have to considering the fact that other potential suitors for AD were balky and unwilling to fully commit? I think those are legitimate questions.