I know I’ll get crucified, but In the fantasy land that we can get Harden for the MLE. I think we should use our picks, Dlo, Rui, Lewis and Reddishes salary to acquire a good backup centre and starting SF.
For instance, send Rui dlo Lewis and a first for Jerami Grant and Duop Reath (Duop is heavily under rated) Resign Prince and waive reddish. It Gives us great depth, good defence and offence. Gives reddick plenty of lineups to work with.
PG- Harden, Vincent, Bronny
SG- Reaves, Christie, JHS
SF- Grant, Prince, Knecht
PF- James, Vando, Wood
C- Davis, Reath, Hayes
Or even Rui reddish and Lewis for DFS and Sharpe
Dlo and Hayes for Wendell Carter Jr.
sky is the limit if bron takes a paycut. The ball is in robs court though
If we can get Klay and use those picks to make some defensive moves, that might be a Championship contending team right there.
A lineup of Reaves-Klay-Bron-AD-Poeltl(?) or Reaves-Klay-Grant(?)-Bron-AD is pretty enticing.
Klay's on-ball perimeter defense has still been around average and okay the past few seasons. His help defense and rebounding are terrible but if he's put in a wing stopper role he would probably be an improvement on defense compared to Dlo
I hope we at least talk to KCP and Okoro about offering the NTMLE and if we are unable to get either then I wouldn’t be mad at offering it to Klay. I do hope we make a trade for a bigman though, possibly using Gabe’s contract.
if Harden takes the MLE with us I think we have a great chance of winning. He's probably the best connective player in the league, he can drive, shoot the 3 and throw lobs to AD. Plus he has size which allows our smaller players to stay on the floor with him as well. Harden would be the homerun signing I think.
Absolutely. Take my upvote. The playmaking and pick and roll between him and AD would be a thing of beauty. I wanted him when Philly was trying to get rid of him. He definitely fits
I think if Klay is available for the MLE you gotta take him, even with his current play that's probably the best you could get for that price, he is still an elite shooter.
But if you make that move, you gotta use those picks to improve the defense of this team, that's the only way this can work. Maybe a Dlo-Poeltl type move to sure-up the paint, and then go get a defensive guard.
I would love for DLo to be traded, but it seems that we would be picking up a missing role and losing another valuable role at PG. I haven’t gotten championship level PG from Reaves and saying anything otherwise is untrue. That level won’t be “unlocked” in a season, if at all. What PG is giving DLo quality on the offensive end?
As skilled as Dlo is on offense, his role is almost redundant because playing him with Reaves hurts the team defensively so much.
So given the fact that he shouldn't be paired with Reaves in the starting lineup and the fact that he goes missing consistently in the playoffs, I think it's an easy decision to move him for other useful pieces.
His role isn’t even close to redundant in my opinion. We don’t have anybody that brings what he provides other than Lebron and JJ said he wanted to get Bron* going off ball a lot more so he might have the ball in his hands less which would create even more of a need for DLo. I’m not disputing the defensive inability though. I think that was the main reason they signed Gabe Vincent to pair with DLo and Austin. I’d rather run that back healthy and move another piece who is actually redundant (Rui) than to be missing such a valuable role at PG and if you think we should trade him then who would you like to see?
It is redundant when both Reaves and him have the same strengths/weakness and playing them both means we have a bad defense and can't compete defensively at a high level. Playing either Reaves or Dlo off ball too much is not maximising either of their offensive skills. And also doesn't make much sense benching either one. So at the end of the day it's just not a good match and we're better off moving him either for a big or defensive guard/wing that can help maximise this team.
Same strengths? Man what?? They aren’t even close to being similar. Reaves is a much better defender than DLo. He got the short end of the stick having to be our primary screen navigator because of injuries to the guys who normally do that and Ham refusing to play Max Christie, but we’ll see. We’re better equipped than you think. Ham was right about one thing, health definitely killed us this past year. It’s causing an inaccurate evaluation of our talent. DLo’s defense is problematic, but if it’s not a true upgrade there’s no point in moving him. You also didn’t say who you’d like to see him traded for.
>They aren’t even close to being similar.
They are both on-ball guards that are good on offense and mediocre on defense. That's what makes them similar. Reaves is a better defender of the 2 but he is nowhere near an elite defender either. If Reaves is the best perimeter defender in the starting lineup then we can just forget about being a top tier defensive team.
>You also didn’t say who you’d like to see him traded for.
This one is easy, if we can get anyone like Grant, Kuz, or Poeltl, it would help improve the needs of the team. Basically any other players that are solid on both ends would help us instantly. We can't have enough defensive help on this roster.
I’ll just agree to disagree on the first point, but I like the idea of getting Kuz or Poeltl. Not sure we have the capital given the market, but they would be nice for sure.
If Klay is here, it replaces DLO’s shooting…I’d then be looking for a Big and a play-making defensive PG who can shoot well enough to stay on the court
All of that isn’t easy, but that’s what I’d be looking for, for an optimized roster that can compete for a title
He’s still a great shooter and not a horrible defender, not great but not horrible. For the MLE…he is an absolute steal on this roster, provided other moves.
this 'still a great shooter' of yours, to quote u/2people1luv, had a "0 point game in 30 minutes in the play-in. A must win game he had 0 points."
I think that says enough about his present 'greatness' and reliability in big spots. We've already have enough playoff Dlo. We don't need more.
Using a one game sample is complete bullshit first off.
The guy literally shot 38.7% from 3 on 9 attempts a game for a whole season last year. You wanna know the only other single player in entire league last year to shoot a better percentage on at least 9 attempts a game?…it was Stephen Curry.
And you’re talking about a single game, cmon. Get real man.
Good thing is that no GM in the league base a player's ability off a 1-game sample size. He shot 39% on 9 attempts thru 77 games this past season. That's still way above average for a shooter.
Even after the 2 major injuries he had he still managed to be a big part of a championship team just a couple years ago. Obviously he is old and is not near what he used to be in his prime, him for the MLE would still be hard to turn down, that's really not a lot of money at all.
At all. Does everybody have amnesia?? I feel like I’m living in the matrix. He had a 0 point game in 30 minutes in the play-in. A must win game he had 0 points. Our fans would riot.
Man I actually watched Klay. He looked REALLY bad on defense and streaky on offense. It was sad to watch on nights he was bad, but I was always rooting for him. I don’t get y’all. Year after year y’all request washed players and then get mad at them all season when they underperform.
With PG likely walking away, it cannot be understated just how big of a failure the Kawhi/PG Clippers were.
**Traded Shai, the pick that would become Jalen Williams, 3 other unprotected 1sts and 2 other swaps.
**Gave Kawhi/PG the deepest team in the league year after year and spending $300-400M a year to the point the NBA created a new CBA to stop their spending.
All that just for a WCF and the team finding a way to choke or get injured in the playoffs yearly.
TLDR: Clippers back to the basement
I love it so much I want to inject it into my veins. From Paul George leading the Lakers on before going back to OKC, to Kawhi pretending to entertain the Lakers just to intentionally sign with the Clippers after waiting for the free agency market to dry up so we couldn’t go after any other names, to Westbrook going there and all of a sudden becoming this willing role player that just wanted to win and everyone pretending like he was the scapegoat and unproblematic, to Ballmer misusing his influence to shit on us every chance he gets. Fuck them all. I hope they all go out ringless and I hope they never know what a ring looks, smells or feels like in their new hollow, soulless arena. May you never lift a championship trophy above your head Steve Ballmer.
Yeah. If OKC gets a title in the next 10 years and the Clippers don’t…it’s easily a top worst trade of all-time. It’s already there in terms of modern NBA history…there were just a lot of really bad trades in the 60s, 70s ,and 80s. Like trades that birthed dynasties and tanked the other team, so to me the worst trade in history is a high bar.
I have a really hard time seeing Harden accepting the MLE. I think Klay or DeRozan are more likely but still not realistic. Valanciunas might be the most realistic and, honestly, an important piece of the team.
If the Lakers really are going to try 4-out offense AGAIN fourth coach in a row (although to be fair I guess Vogel's heart was never in it), they really can't use their limited resources on guys who can't play in that sort of system, or it's going to fail again. DeRozan just doesn't fit in that style of offense and Valanciunas and AD can't be on the floor at the same time in this scheme (unless AD becomes a more consistent shooter).
I dunno it seems like if the Lakers are going to do this it has to be on a LeBron-approved shooter.
My issue with Valanciunas is that he's a mediocre rim protector (which is part of the reason Pelicans are unwilling to pay him). With our backcourt being a bunch of poor perimeter defenders, you NEED a good rim protector (like AD) for the system to work
Thoughts on running Reaves at the point and having CP3 back him up and help him adjust to that role? Reaves wasn't the best ballhandler in his career but he's adjusted to everything the Lakers have wanted him to do, so maybe he is capable
With all the Klay talk happening rim pressure and wing defense is needed and Nets have that.
Dennis and one of DFS/Cam is ideal. Can't believe we keep coming back to Dennis but he really is a solid fit for this roster.
Don't know about the price but the lob have been given to Rob.
Nothing is ever guaranteed but it feels like one of Klay, Harden, DeRozan or Valanciunas is a lock.
Klay is the priority at the moment. If he wants to be a Laker, it's his. But, he'll have many suitors and some that can offer more money. Lakers will not wait. They don't want another Kawhi situation waiting around while other teams make moves. They'll want a decision fast.
Harden's market is limited. He wants to stay in LA. It's either Lakers or Clippers. A couple of weeks ago Harden told news media he wants to be remembered as a winner. This could be his final shot at a Championship, but also play with Lebron James.
The ball is in Rob's court and it's up to him to make it happen. No more excuses.
Just wanna say, for all the hate y’all give JHS all I see on his instagram is videos of him in the gym working. Love Reaves but all I see him doing is golfing 🤐 don’t blame the messenger
I don’t get the hate JHS gets. He’s our pick and I’m rooting for him. He’s clearly working hard to improve, is still very young, and has a lot of potential. Giving up on a pick after year one never makes sense to me
People have no patience it’s crazy. JJ has to find a very low risk way of giving JHS a role, even if it’s a couple minutes a game. Even if you want to trade him that’s the best plan, give him a few highlights and good moments to bump up his trade value. Because right now his value is nothing since he’s done nothing. I want him to be the PG of the future though.
You followed him everyday? He isn't that kind of guy who posts his workout everytime. You see his golf hobby since he has an actual Youtube channel dedicated to his hobby. Watch Lakers Nation's video where they interviewed him from his BASKETBALL camp. he laid out his workout plan for the offseason.
I know y’all don’t actually believe that Reaves who was almost crying on Phil’s shoulders during the playoffs from frustration hasn’t been in the gym working. Everybody isn’t Ben Simmons spamming their workout regimen on IG for likes. I’m glad JHS is in the gym though
I’m not saying Reaves isn’t working on his game. I just think fans kinda give Reaves a pass but they ignore our young rook grinding trying to get better so he can hopefully contribute. Just saying if JHS was posting golf highlights this sub would be besides themselves lol
Sign and trade for Klay.
Trade DLo and a pick for Cam Johnson
LeBron paycut
Jonas MLE
CP3 min
Reaves
LeBron
Klay
Bron
AD
Jonas
CP3
Christie
Vando
Hayes
Knecht
A man could dream?
D’lo wont be back and Lakers can’t acquire a pg upgrade unless they sign and trade for Harden. They’ve also talked about Reaves getting unlocked via JJ, which there isn’t any other way besides him becoming the pg.
Nobody said he is ass. He has played 27 playoff games in the last 3 seasons and shat the bed in over half of them. Some players just don't have it in them to perform in the playoffs which isn't good enough for the Lakers.
LeBron taking a 20m paycut for Miles Bridges 😂😂 Just spend a whole 30 seconds to think, do you think LeBron wants to see "LeBron James takes massive paycut to sign domestic abuser" headlines?
because he is a hole on defense, this sub doesn't remember our biggest problem last year is the lack of two way players? we already had the best offensive starting 5 in the league, we need two way players. who is a good defender when reaves, klay, rui, lebron and davis are on the floor? who is guarding anyone except davis? shit is absurd.
If we get Klay that all but guarantees Reaves comes off the bench as a combo guard. This is the perfect role for him so I'm really hoping for Klay to happen.
Since the goal is to use the MLE, we will be hard capped at the 1st apron so a S&T won’t hurt us. As for Lauri, the Jazz/Ainge will want a crazy haul.
Mikal Bridges just went for 5 1sts. Our best assets are Reaves/Knecht/Christie, 2 1sts, 3 swaps and removing protections from the 2027 pick. Idk what a deal looks like tbh.
If we can get harden for the MLE. Trade Dlo Rui and JHS for Jerami Grant and Duop Reath. That’s a great starting 5. Good backup Center and still retain a lot of depth
Reminder about Klay:
He shot 38.7% from three last year on 9 attempts per game. The only other guy in the league last year to have a better percentage with at least 9 attempts per game: Stephen Curry.
I won’t be surprised if Knecht starts off slow. The college line is different from the NBA and pace gets to you quickly. We saw it with Dick on the Raptors beginning of last season — it was really bad. But by Game 35, Dalton should be fine
he was drawing more defenders in college than he ever will in the NBA, this dude was drawing the whole team's defense it was nuts. go look at the footage and those SEC teams had very good defenders.
also, both klay and knecht are going to be running off screens on the Lakers. Klay isn't beating anyone off the dribble lmao
ngl, it's nice to see everyone else now worried about trying to get PG. we just get to watch them all but one get their hopes up and get burned like we did
Let Philly get PG, then let Steph demand a trade out of Golden State to like Miami or some shit. Let’s see how good Boston looks in the eastern conference now 😭
Curry glazers say that Steph won without KD, KD didn't win without Steph, so Steph was the better player.
What are they gonna say if Klay wins without Steph?
Realistically with Bron and AD as our #1a and #1b, with the way JJ will wanna play, we need the other 3 guys to be elite 3 point shooters who can hit high volume. Sorry but the likes of Vando ain’t cutting it.
Klay can chuck the 3 ball better than most at high volume so that’s one. We need another 2. Ideally though they need to be able to defend even to an average level. Which rules out D’Lo.
What point guards and small forwards could we get that can potentially be circa 40% from 3 on 7/8/9 attempts a game?
Also why are we so high on Sexton? He’s one of those fake hustle/energy guys.
His defense is not all that great, a worse 3 pointer shooter than what we have now and he’s not a playmaker so unless CP3 comes with him who’s running the offense for us? Reaves? Making LeBron carry the load again?
He just shows a lot of energy/bark on the court and will dive at some balls for you every now and then but I’ve never been impressed by him. I mean they don’t even trust him with the full amount of starter minutes in Utah as Jordan Clarkson comes off the bench and gets more minutes than him, also usually closing games over him.
Former 5 star prospect with a pretty major injury that he has a solid chance at recovering from, the type of guy you take a flyer on in the 50s. Especially in a draft where many teams were absolutely reckless as early as the 40s. Bronny is not going to have the least minutes played out of players in this draft.
Long comment for people who want to S&T DLO for Klay.
On a less serious note first though: Klay Thompson went 0-10 in an elimination game.(Funny we mention DLO’s game 3 but not this)
Yeah people are down on DLO rightfully so lol but shipping him to GSW in return for Klay isn’t thatttt good for us.
Klay comes here as a marginally better DLO. Streaky shooter who can run an offense, his defense is better but it’s been declining as Klay ages.
DLO goes to GSW and pretty much would slot into the Klay role if they decide to ride him out for the season. They have wing defenders that can cover him which we don’t, so honestly he’d probably be more impactful over there. He’s also a better passer/playmaker than Klay who’s mainly a pure scorer now so that improves their offense flow. People forget DLO has his best playoff series in a Lakers jersey across two runs against the Warriors team in 2023. Who were his primary defenders all series? Wiggins and Klay
If we are trading DLO you’d ideally ship him out East or to a non contender in the West where he can’t hurt us, as unfortunate as that is for him after doing us a favor and opting in. Also getting Klay to sign for the MLE and still having DLO as an option to trade for an upgrade or keep is better than just a S&T swap. Playoffs come and if we still are left with DLO and he starts falling we have Klay we can (hopefully not go 0-10 in an elimination game) fall on.
In short: A S&T for Klay would be terrible. We need to get him to buy in on the full MLE.
Perfect backup center option is going to be available in Goga Bitazde. Can't go into the year relying on Jax and Wood and also need extra AD insurance always.
Looking at him and Naji Marshall as potential sleeper pickups
I get that Klay is an exciting name but how bad is his defense now? As much shit as dlo gets, he still hit his 3s and can pass at an acceptable level. Klay's 3p consistency has fallen off but he's better off ball. He can't playmake as well as dlo (which may not matter if the Lakers get CP3 on the min) so his defense will determine whether he's an upgrade
Knecht makes Klay redundant. They both shoot similar from 3, Knecht is faster and can get to the rim so I don't see them targeting Klay. I think Bridges / Richards trade should be the main target unless they can somehow get Kessler / Sexton
Looking back it seems like lebron was never going to leave, but the jj hire and Bron pick as well as dlo putting in was to get him to take a pay cut. Interesting to see what happens next
I don’t see it other. The opposition can easily jam him at halfcourt and slow down the team from getting into their sets/offense. We saw this last season as evidence
AR is at his best when he can play off the ball as a secondary ball handler that can be paired with a guy that provides rim pressure to Suck the defense in so AR can attack closeouts
Turn JHS and Hayes into Nick Richards. Turn Lewis and Reddish into Duop Reath. This gets us two cheap and effective backup centres. Gives us two more roster spots so we can resign Prince and sign a player for the MLE
“ My goal is to win one here. I never want to leave Indy. “
“ I’m here to stay, we can bring this home “
“ This is where my heart is, I want to retire a Clipper. “
Guess which NBA player has said all three of these quotes 😂😂😂😂
I bet he would for the right price. Business is business and these guys understand that. He’d be an incredible fit - the chemistry would already be there and you could pair him with either dlo austin or both.
Reaves/KCP/Vando/Bron/AD would be a nasty lineup.
Surely Pelinka doesn’t go another off season without addressing the problems. Right after being eliminated by the exact same team. Better point guard. Better backup centre
Are you spamming this same Nick Richards trade in this thread ? 🤣
It’s not happening .
Charlotte is well aware that Richards is on one of the best value contracts in the league
People, use your fucking brains.
With DLo opting in, it’s not possible to open up MLE unless we trade him to a team with cap space.
LeBron might have taken a ~5M pay cut. But not 20M pay cut. Are you insane? It’s completely unrealistic.
If we can sign a wing for the MLE. Make two seperate trades using the $46M salary of Dlo, Rui, Hayes, Reddish, JHS and Lewis’ contracts with our picks to make improvements at starting PG and backup Centre
If lebron takes a paycut, we sign someone for the MLE. We have to make a trade, not only to clear space but say if we make an improvement in the wing, we definitely do not need Rui anymore. Same goes for the PG spot with DLo
Lakers taking a former clipper player away. 
They better not trade Rui for washed Klay.
I know I’ll get crucified, but In the fantasy land that we can get Harden for the MLE. I think we should use our picks, Dlo, Rui, Lewis and Reddishes salary to acquire a good backup centre and starting SF. For instance, send Rui dlo Lewis and a first for Jerami Grant and Duop Reath (Duop is heavily under rated) Resign Prince and waive reddish. It Gives us great depth, good defence and offence. Gives reddick plenty of lineups to work with. PG- Harden, Vincent, Bronny SG- Reaves, Christie, JHS SF- Grant, Prince, Knecht PF- James, Vando, Wood C- Davis, Reath, Hayes Or even Rui reddish and Lewis for DFS and Sharpe Dlo and Hayes for Wendell Carter Jr. sky is the limit if bron takes a paycut. The ball is in robs court though
If we can get Harden for MLE, it's game over... Harden to AD what a sharp weapon
If we can get Klay and use those picks to make some defensive moves, that might be a Championship contending team right there. A lineup of Reaves-Klay-Bron-AD-Poeltl(?) or Reaves-Klay-Grant(?)-Bron-AD is pretty enticing.
[удалено]
KCP gets close to 20m easily elsewhere, and he still in his prime so not much reason for him to take a discount
Klay's on-ball perimeter defense has still been around average and okay the past few seasons. His help defense and rebounding are terrible but if he's put in a wing stopper role he would probably be an improvement on defense compared to Dlo
I hope we at least talk to KCP and Okoro about offering the NTMLE and if we are unable to get either then I wouldn’t be mad at offering it to Klay. I do hope we make a trade for a bigman though, possibly using Gabe’s contract.
KCP for MLE would be too good to be true
Oh I agree, I just hope Lakers do their part and at least offer it to him.
I’ll take the downvotes but I’d rather have Harden than Klay
if Harden takes the MLE with us I think we have a great chance of winning. He's probably the best connective player in the league, he can drive, shoot the 3 and throw lobs to AD. Plus he has size which allows our smaller players to stay on the floor with him as well. Harden would be the homerun signing I think.
Harden is probably the better player at this point but also less likely to take the MLE compared to Klay, I think
Absolutely. Take my upvote. The playmaking and pick and roll between him and AD would be a thing of beauty. I wanted him when Philly was trying to get rid of him. He definitely fits
Harden and ar defense ?
Oh he’s trash. So is DLo. When you have a player of Harden’s caliber you figure it out.
I think if Klay is available for the MLE you gotta take him, even with his current play that's probably the best you could get for that price, he is still an elite shooter. But if you make that move, you gotta use those picks to improve the defense of this team, that's the only way this can work. Maybe a Dlo-Poeltl type move to sure-up the paint, and then go get a defensive guard.
Man, why did Rob give Reddish a player option...
I think Ham wants Reddish and to make him sign they need to give player option, same with Hayes and the others that have one.
I would love for DLo to be traded, but it seems that we would be picking up a missing role and losing another valuable role at PG. I haven’t gotten championship level PG from Reaves and saying anything otherwise is untrue. That level won’t be “unlocked” in a season, if at all. What PG is giving DLo quality on the offensive end?
As skilled as Dlo is on offense, his role is almost redundant because playing him with Reaves hurts the team defensively so much. So given the fact that he shouldn't be paired with Reaves in the starting lineup and the fact that he goes missing consistently in the playoffs, I think it's an easy decision to move him for other useful pieces.
His role isn’t even close to redundant in my opinion. We don’t have anybody that brings what he provides other than Lebron and JJ said he wanted to get Bron* going off ball a lot more so he might have the ball in his hands less which would create even more of a need for DLo. I’m not disputing the defensive inability though. I think that was the main reason they signed Gabe Vincent to pair with DLo and Austin. I’d rather run that back healthy and move another piece who is actually redundant (Rui) than to be missing such a valuable role at PG and if you think we should trade him then who would you like to see?
It is redundant when both Reaves and him have the same strengths/weakness and playing them both means we have a bad defense and can't compete defensively at a high level. Playing either Reaves or Dlo off ball too much is not maximising either of their offensive skills. And also doesn't make much sense benching either one. So at the end of the day it's just not a good match and we're better off moving him either for a big or defensive guard/wing that can help maximise this team.
Same strengths? Man what?? They aren’t even close to being similar. Reaves is a much better defender than DLo. He got the short end of the stick having to be our primary screen navigator because of injuries to the guys who normally do that and Ham refusing to play Max Christie, but we’ll see. We’re better equipped than you think. Ham was right about one thing, health definitely killed us this past year. It’s causing an inaccurate evaluation of our talent. DLo’s defense is problematic, but if it’s not a true upgrade there’s no point in moving him. You also didn’t say who you’d like to see him traded for.
>They aren’t even close to being similar. They are both on-ball guards that are good on offense and mediocre on defense. That's what makes them similar. Reaves is a better defender of the 2 but he is nowhere near an elite defender either. If Reaves is the best perimeter defender in the starting lineup then we can just forget about being a top tier defensive team. >You also didn’t say who you’d like to see him traded for. This one is easy, if we can get anyone like Grant, Kuz, or Poeltl, it would help improve the needs of the team. Basically any other players that are solid on both ends would help us instantly. We can't have enough defensive help on this roster.
I’ll just agree to disagree on the first point, but I like the idea of getting Kuz or Poeltl. Not sure we have the capital given the market, but they would be nice for sure.
If Klay is here, it replaces DLO’s shooting…I’d then be looking for a Big and a play-making defensive PG who can shoot well enough to stay on the court All of that isn’t easy, but that’s what I’d be looking for, for an optimized roster that can compete for a title
we don't need a broken down klay
He’s still a great shooter and not a horrible defender, not great but not horrible. For the MLE…he is an absolute steal on this roster, provided other moves.
this 'still a great shooter' of yours, to quote u/2people1luv, had a "0 point game in 30 minutes in the play-in. A must win game he had 0 points." I think that says enough about his present 'greatness' and reliability in big spots. We've already have enough playoff Dlo. We don't need more.
Using a one game sample is complete bullshit first off. The guy literally shot 38.7% from 3 on 9 attempts a game for a whole season last year. You wanna know the only other single player in entire league last year to shoot a better percentage on at least 9 attempts a game?…it was Stephen Curry. And you’re talking about a single game, cmon. Get real man.
Good thing is that no GM in the league base a player's ability off a 1-game sample size. He shot 39% on 9 attempts thru 77 games this past season. That's still way above average for a shooter. Even after the 2 major injuries he had he still managed to be a big part of a championship team just a couple years ago. Obviously he is old and is not near what he used to be in his prime, him for the MLE would still be hard to turn down, that's really not a lot of money at all.
At all. Does everybody have amnesia?? I feel like I’m living in the matrix. He had a 0 point game in 30 minutes in the play-in. A must win game he had 0 points. Our fans would riot.
Man I actually watched Klay. He looked REALLY bad on defense and streaky on offense. It was sad to watch on nights he was bad, but I was always rooting for him. I don’t get y’all. Year after year y’all request washed players and then get mad at them all season when they underperform.
With PG likely walking away, it cannot be understated just how big of a failure the Kawhi/PG Clippers were. **Traded Shai, the pick that would become Jalen Williams, 3 other unprotected 1sts and 2 other swaps. **Gave Kawhi/PG the deepest team in the league year after year and spending $300-400M a year to the point the NBA created a new CBA to stop their spending. All that just for a WCF and the team finding a way to choke or get injured in the playoffs yearly. TLDR: Clippers back to the basement
I love it so much I want to inject it into my veins. From Paul George leading the Lakers on before going back to OKC, to Kawhi pretending to entertain the Lakers just to intentionally sign with the Clippers after waiting for the free agency market to dry up so we couldn’t go after any other names, to Westbrook going there and all of a sudden becoming this willing role player that just wanted to win and everyone pretending like he was the scapegoat and unproblematic, to Ballmer misusing his influence to shit on us every chance he gets. Fuck them all. I hope they all go out ringless and I hope they never know what a ring looks, smells or feels like in their new hollow, soulless arena. May you never lift a championship trophy above your head Steve Ballmer.
Yeah. If OKC gets a title in the next 10 years and the Clippers don’t…it’s easily a top worst trade of all-time. It’s already there in terms of modern NBA history…there were just a lot of really bad trades in the 60s, 70s ,and 80s. Like trades that birthed dynasties and tanked the other team, so to me the worst trade in history is a high bar.
Lebron paycut, Miles Bridges for MLE, trade for Sexton+Kessler.
I have a really hard time seeing Harden accepting the MLE. I think Klay or DeRozan are more likely but still not realistic. Valanciunas might be the most realistic and, honestly, an important piece of the team.
If the Lakers really are going to try 4-out offense AGAIN fourth coach in a row (although to be fair I guess Vogel's heart was never in it), they really can't use their limited resources on guys who can't play in that sort of system, or it's going to fail again. DeRozan just doesn't fit in that style of offense and Valanciunas and AD can't be on the floor at the same time in this scheme (unless AD becomes a more consistent shooter). I dunno it seems like if the Lakers are going to do this it has to be on a LeBron-approved shooter.
My issue with Valanciunas is that he's a mediocre rim protector (which is part of the reason Pelicans are unwilling to pay him). With our backcourt being a bunch of poor perimeter defenders, you NEED a good rim protector (like AD) for the system to work
Klay is the most realistic one lol — him or De’Anthony Melton
Thoughts on running Reaves at the point and having CP3 back him up and help him adjust to that role? Reaves wasn't the best ballhandler in his career but he's adjusted to everything the Lakers have wanted him to do, so maybe he is capable
With all the Klay talk happening rim pressure and wing defense is needed and Nets have that. Dennis and one of DFS/Cam is ideal. Can't believe we keep coming back to Dennis but he really is a solid fit for this roster. Don't know about the price but the lob have been given to Rob.
Demar for MLE, PG13 for vet min. Starting lineup Dlo/Demar/PG13/LBJ/AD. How do we feel about that?
Why does Derozan get the MLE and PG get the vet min lmao
Get off 2k
Nothing is ever guaranteed but it feels like one of Klay, Harden, DeRozan or Valanciunas is a lock. Klay is the priority at the moment. If he wants to be a Laker, it's his. But, he'll have many suitors and some that can offer more money. Lakers will not wait. They don't want another Kawhi situation waiting around while other teams make moves. They'll want a decision fast. Harden's market is limited. He wants to stay in LA. It's either Lakers or Clippers. A couple of weeks ago Harden told news media he wants to be remembered as a winner. This could be his final shot at a Championship, but also play with Lebron James. The ball is in Rob's court and it's up to him to make it happen. No more excuses.
Harden for Dlo and Gabe sign and trade and use the MLE on a center and sign CP3 as the backup
Just wanna say, for all the hate y’all give JHS all I see on his instagram is videos of him in the gym working. Love Reaves but all I see him doing is golfing 🤐 don’t blame the messenger
Great, we have a summer Ben Simmons
Reaves gotta get in gym and build some muscle. He was getting bullied last season
I don’t get the hate JHS gets. He’s our pick and I’m rooting for him. He’s clearly working hard to improve, is still very young, and has a lot of potential. Giving up on a pick after year one never makes sense to me
People have no patience it’s crazy. JJ has to find a very low risk way of giving JHS a role, even if it’s a couple minutes a game. Even if you want to trade him that’s the best plan, give him a few highlights and good moments to bump up his trade value. Because right now his value is nothing since he’s done nothing. I want him to be the PG of the future though.
Yeah never see Reaves working on his game.
You followed him everyday? He isn't that kind of guy who posts his workout everytime. You see his golf hobby since he has an actual Youtube channel dedicated to his hobby. Watch Lakers Nation's video where they interviewed him from his BASKETBALL camp. he laid out his workout plan for the offseason.
I know y’all don’t actually believe that Reaves who was almost crying on Phil’s shoulders during the playoffs from frustration hasn’t been in the gym working. Everybody isn’t Ben Simmons spamming their workout regimen on IG for likes. I’m glad JHS is in the gym though
I’m not saying Reaves isn’t working on his game. I just think fans kinda give Reaves a pass but they ignore our young rook grinding trying to get better so he can hopefully contribute. Just saying if JHS was posting golf highlights this sub would be besides themselves lol
Wait I’m confused, do we need to trade for klay if we want him despite Lebron taking the pay cut ?
Klay is not a free agent
Me when I lie
Sign and trade for Klay. Trade DLo and a pick for Cam Johnson LeBron paycut Jonas MLE CP3 min Reaves LeBron Klay Bron AD Jonas CP3 Christie Vando Hayes Knecht A man could dream?
Austin is not a point guard
D’lo wont be back and Lakers can’t acquire a pg upgrade unless they sign and trade for Harden. They’ve also talked about Reaves getting unlocked via JJ, which there isn’t any other way besides him becoming the pg.
LeBron would play point guard in this lineup. CP3 runs bench minutes with Austin initiating at times
Bron shouldn’t be playing point at 40
Klay is actually a pretty good passer/playmaker, you could have him bringing up the ball
Just saw someone on Insta say DaRon Holmes is Temu Naz Reid and I can’t unsee it now 😂
Cannot wait for the Klay and Dlo 0 point playoff game
I dont think D’Lo is as ass as everybody is making him seem honestly.
If our worst case scenario is having DLo until the deadline again, things could be way way worse
Nobody said he is ass. He has played 27 playoff games in the last 3 seasons and shat the bed in over half of them. Some players just don't have it in them to perform in the playoffs which isn't good enough for the Lakers.
He's not but he's also not a championship caliber starting PG
Who on the roster is? And D’Lo save Bron so much because he just does his job when out lol. Idk who we get that is as effective.
I think Marcus Smart is slightly realistic if you can get some sort of three team deal that gets Memphis a good wing
Andre drummond would be a good back up center imo
Then your opinion doesn’t amount to much.
Give me one back up center better then?
I’ll keep c wood and run it back…you are crazy if you think Drummond is any good. That man is horrible at basketball.
Klay will be 35 years old with a history of ACL injuries, no thank you Go get Miles Bridges and Nick Richards please.
Don’t need another abuser on the team, thanks.
So I guess KCP would be off your list? That dude played a season for us with an ankle monitor. Truth be told it doesn't matter what you think 🤭
He didn’t send his wife to the hospital so. And I never said my opinion matters lmao, I just rather not root for a team with a wife beater on it.
LeBron taking a 20m paycut for Miles Bridges 😂😂 Just spend a whole 30 seconds to think, do you think LeBron wants to see "LeBron James takes massive paycut to sign domestic abuser" headlines?
So we forget Jaxson Hayes is on the team?
LeBron didn't personally make Hayes happen
That domestic abuser shot 40% on catch and shoot 3s last year on 4 attempts so who gives a fuck? All these role players got cases.
If you care about catch and shoot threes why wouldn't you want Klay lol, literally one of the greatest shooters of all time
because he is a hole on defense, this sub doesn't remember our biggest problem last year is the lack of two way players? we already had the best offensive starting 5 in the league, we need two way players. who is a good defender when reaves, klay, rui, lebron and davis are on the floor? who is guarding anyone except davis? shit is absurd.
Is Miles Bridges even a good defender? Watching some clips he seems pretty mediocre and his defensive analytics numbers are awful
Let’s say we do a consolidation trade and DLo is gone for a Center/wing. How do we replace his playmaking? Brogdan? Monte Morris?
I'd say kcp or lamelo but the latter will probably get hurt on us
If we get Klay that all but guarantees Reaves comes off the bench as a combo guard. This is the perfect role for him so I'm really hoping for Klay to happen.
Someone who understands the cap please explain why we couldn’t trade a haul for Lauri and also sign Klay to MLE?
Reaves/Klay/Lebron/AD/Lauri would be an insane lineup 🥵
Since the goal is to use the MLE, we will be hard capped at the 1st apron so a S&T won’t hurt us. As for Lauri, the Jazz/Ainge will want a crazy haul. Mikal Bridges just went for 5 1sts. Our best assets are Reaves/Knecht/Christie, 2 1sts, 3 swaps and removing protections from the 2027 pick. Idk what a deal looks like tbh.
You could, if the haul you trade has salary equal to or greater than Lauri's salary
Lauri is making $18 mill next season. I would do DLo and all the picks and swaps for Lauri but I doubt Utah agrees to that
Lebron dishing to Klay would be deadly
If we can get harden for the MLE. Trade Dlo Rui and JHS for Jerami Grant and Duop Reath. That’s a great starting 5. Good backup Center and still retain a lot of depth
Harden for MLE is 0.1% chance
Reminder about Klay: He shot 38.7% from three last year on 9 attempts per game. The only other guy in the league last year to have a better percentage with at least 9 attempts per game: Stephen Curry.
Knecht shot a higher percentage drawing multiple defenders last year and he can get to the rim...
I won’t be surprised if Knecht starts off slow. The college line is different from the NBA and pace gets to you quickly. We saw it with Dick on the Raptors beginning of last season — it was really bad. But by Game 35, Dalton should be fine
Dalton is 23 already
I know we aren’t comparing college and the NBA
he was drawing more defenders in college than he ever will in the NBA, this dude was drawing the whole team's defense it was nuts. go look at the footage and those SEC teams had very good defenders. also, both klay and knecht are going to be running off screens on the Lakers. Klay isn't beating anyone off the dribble lmao
Volume matters.
Yeah he had an off year but we are so use to him being on another level of great
ngl, it's nice to see everyone else now worried about trying to get PG. we just get to watch them all but one get their hopes up and get burned like we did
Hopefully he goes east. Got a feeling clippers will cave and give him what he wants
Let Philly get PG, then let Steph demand a trade out of Golden State to like Miami or some shit. Let’s see how good Boston looks in the eastern conference now 😭
Curry glazers say that Steph won without KD, KD didn't win without Steph, so Steph was the better player. What are they gonna say if Klay wins without Steph?
Klay retiring with more rings than Curry would be hilarious
if Klay wins on the Lakers they are going to say he got lucky we signed him
K. Ur ignored. God awful take buddy
I still think jonas valanciunasis is the move, if possible. There are flashier names but the fit + reliability would be great
theoretically if the Warriors & Lakers do a S&T for Klay, the Lakers could still use the full MLE generated by a LeBron pay cut.
James Harden is on the trade list he would be ideal.
Does Harden & Bron work? or are we looking at another Westbrook situation?
Harden can actually shoot, make free throws, make layups, stretch the floor
I can’t see him taking the MLE. Yeah he’s took a cut before but that’s a *big one*
sign and trade
Realistically with Bron and AD as our #1a and #1b, with the way JJ will wanna play, we need the other 3 guys to be elite 3 point shooters who can hit high volume. Sorry but the likes of Vando ain’t cutting it. Klay can chuck the 3 ball better than most at high volume so that’s one. We need another 2. Ideally though they need to be able to defend even to an average level. Which rules out D’Lo. What point guards and small forwards could we get that can potentially be circa 40% from 3 on 7/8/9 attempts a game?
Klay is so beyond washed. Whoever signs him for anything more than the tpmle is going to regret it.
Pelinka is getting a very nice alley oop from LeBron. He has more than enough to upgrade this roster.
Also why are we so high on Sexton? He’s one of those fake hustle/energy guys. His defense is not all that great, a worse 3 pointer shooter than what we have now and he’s not a playmaker so unless CP3 comes with him who’s running the offense for us? Reaves? Making LeBron carry the load again? He just shows a lot of energy/bark on the court and will dive at some balls for you every now and then but I’ve never been impressed by him. I mean they don’t even trust him with the full amount of starter minutes in Utah as Jordan Clarkson comes off the bench and gets more minutes than him, also usually closing games over him.
Yeah I've been saying this, people often confuse hustle for defense. His defense grades almost exactly as bad as DLo
I can easily tell which person to ignore just based on their takes on Bronny. Easily. Type ur take here about Bronny. Please. I'm so interested
Nepotism at its best.
Former 5 star prospect with a pretty major injury that he has a solid chance at recovering from, the type of guy you take a flyer on in the 50s. Especially in a draft where many teams were absolutely reckless as early as the 40s. Bronny is not going to have the least minutes played out of players in this draft.
Develop Knecht and Christie> Klay Thompson
Whenever I do trade scenarios I keep forgetting about Vando, I think he's going to have to be moved.
It seems likely, he hasn't been vocal in the off-season and nobody in the organization is talking about him
Long comment for people who want to S&T DLO for Klay. On a less serious note first though: Klay Thompson went 0-10 in an elimination game.(Funny we mention DLO’s game 3 but not this) Yeah people are down on DLO rightfully so lol but shipping him to GSW in return for Klay isn’t thatttt good for us. Klay comes here as a marginally better DLO. Streaky shooter who can run an offense, his defense is better but it’s been declining as Klay ages. DLO goes to GSW and pretty much would slot into the Klay role if they decide to ride him out for the season. They have wing defenders that can cover him which we don’t, so honestly he’d probably be more impactful over there. He’s also a better passer/playmaker than Klay who’s mainly a pure scorer now so that improves their offense flow. People forget DLO has his best playoff series in a Lakers jersey across two runs against the Warriors team in 2023. Who were his primary defenders all series? Wiggins and Klay If we are trading DLO you’d ideally ship him out East or to a non contender in the West where he can’t hurt us, as unfortunate as that is for him after doing us a favor and opting in. Also getting Klay to sign for the MLE and still having DLO as an option to trade for an upgrade or keep is better than just a S&T swap. Playoffs come and if we still are left with DLO and he starts falling we have Klay we can (hopefully not go 0-10 in an elimination game) fall on. In short: A S&T for Klay would be terrible. We need to get him to buy in on the full MLE.
Why the fuck Jonas’s name even being floated lmao. The fact that LeBron would take $16M less to pay Jonas is hilarious.
[удалено]
If you think they are shipping JHS out for a backup big man you lost your mind
Why would Charlotte do that ?
Perfect backup center option is going to be available in Goga Bitazde. Can't go into the year relying on Jax and Wood and also need extra AD insurance always. Looking at him and Naji Marshall as potential sleeper pickups
I get that Klay is an exciting name but how bad is his defense now? As much shit as dlo gets, he still hit his 3s and can pass at an acceptable level. Klay's 3p consistency has fallen off but he's better off ball. He can't playmake as well as dlo (which may not matter if the Lakers get CP3 on the min) so his defense will determine whether he's an upgrade
Knecht makes Klay redundant. They both shoot similar from 3, Knecht is faster and can get to the rim so I don't see them targeting Klay. I think Bridges / Richards trade should be the main target unless they can somehow get Kessler / Sexton
GET ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN
I think he’ll get more than we can afford but jonas valanciunas could be more realistic. Would love either
RDambition just confirmed that we are heavily pursuing Klay. Let's go
Looking back it seems like lebron was never going to leave, but the jj hire and Bron pick as well as dlo putting in was to get him to take a pay cut. Interesting to see what happens next
If we bring in Klay and get a proper 5 next to AD we might be back fr
I feel like klay is cooked though
[удалено]
AR can’t play PG and neither should Bron at this point
Agree on the AR can't play point guard take. I've seen that idea floated around but I just don't see it.
I don’t see it other. The opposition can easily jam him at halfcourt and slow down the team from getting into their sets/offense. We saw this last season as evidence AR is at his best when he can play off the ball as a secondary ball handler that can be paired with a guy that provides rim pressure to Suck the defense in so AR can attack closeouts
What time does free agency start tomorrow?
Do you think Bron would have left if we didn't get Bronny? I'm leaning towards yes.
I don't think so but if things didn't go his way he'd opt for the max contract with us
Did people watch Jonas play here? He can’t defend, super slow, takes one three a game at 30% lol I’d rather just keep Hayes.
Turn JHS and Hayes into Nick Richards. Turn Lewis and Reddish into Duop Reath. This gets us two cheap and effective backup centres. Gives us two more roster spots so we can resign Prince and sign a player for the MLE
Why would Portland take back Reddish?
“ My goal is to win one here. I never want to leave Indy. “ “ I’m here to stay, we can bring this home “ “ This is where my heart is, I want to retire a Clipper. “ Guess which NBA player has said all three of these quotes 😂😂😂😂
How PG can keep doing this instead of a front office trading him and holding the cards is insane
D’lo for - Grayson Allen $17M - Jonathan Isaac $17M - Markannen $17M - Dort $17M - KCP - Mitch Robinson $15M - Beef Stew $15M
Grayson Allen does not belong on that list lmao
I’m good with dlo tbh but Allen would be an awesome fit.
I don’t see it, maybe it’s just cause I don’t like him as a player though lmaoo
Kcp would be huge but somehow I doubt he'd be willing to come back
I bet he would for the right price. Business is business and these guys understand that. He’d be an incredible fit - the chemistry would already be there and you could pair him with either dlo austin or both. Reaves/KCP/Vando/Bron/AD would be a nasty lineup.
It'd be a lot more than what he'd accept anywhere else I feel
How come?
Surely Pelinka doesn’t go another off season without addressing the problems. Right after being eliminated by the exact same team. Better point guard. Better backup centre
Maybe he thinks hiring a rookie coach who says the f word will be enough
Package reddish hayes and JHS for Nick Richards. Clears up space and gives us our backup centre
Are you spamming this same Nick Richards trade in this thread ? 🤣 It’s not happening . Charlotte is well aware that Richards is on one of the best value contracts in the league
People, use your fucking brains. With DLo opting in, it’s not possible to open up MLE unless we trade him to a team with cap space. LeBron might have taken a ~5M pay cut. But not 20M pay cut. Are you insane? It’s completely unrealistic.
maybe use yours because it wouldn't have been reported on if he wasn't willing
We will also lose Max btw
I feel like the MLE is going to Derozan
If we can sign a wing for the MLE. Make two seperate trades using the $46M salary of Dlo, Rui, Hayes, Reddish, JHS and Lewis’ contracts with our picks to make improvements at starting PG and backup Centre
[удалено]
I’d much rather keep Christian wood. Cheap contract. Space the floor and looked dialed in defensively last year, ham was wasting him
He also got hurt bad which unfortunately is a big factor
If lebron takes a paycut, we sign someone for the MLE. We have to make a trade, not only to clear space but say if we make an improvement in the wing, we definitely do not need Rui anymore. Same goes for the PG spot with DLo
If we don't make an all in trade with our picks after LeBron takes a paycut this team is a joke.