NBA General Discussions | Lakers Trade Ideas/FA Discussions

[tamaraw08]

Here are my thoughts on the notable big man free agents available and the chances the Lakers can sign them:

1) Lamarcus Aldridge - good chance. It's a toss up between Lakers, and Spurs. The latter has to gut a good chunk of their roster to make it happen. Dallas could be in play if they could clear cap space and since it's his hometown.

2) Kevin Love - Hearing he'll re-sign with Cavs. Probably 0% chance but worth a pitch.

3) DeAndre Jordan - If rumors of rift with cp3 are true, Lakers have a good chance being down the hall. However, I don't think he's a good fit on this team due to his FT shooting and non-existent offensive game.

4) Marc Gasol - Highly unlikely to come to the Lakers after how his brother Pau Gasol was treated. Played his entire career in Memphis and even high school. 0% chance.

5) Greg Monroe - Probably the most probable of the 6 to sign with the Lakers. But he's no better than Jordan Hill imo. Better post player, worst defender but will command more pay so not worth it.

6) Tyson Chandler - May be a great fit, but is 32 years old. Injury issues in recent seasons are a concern. Still an upgrade over Jordan Hill assuming the same price tag.


First option: I would like Aldridge in LA if possible, but he's not an ideal C to play alongside Randle, but maybe they'll find it a way to make it work.

Second option: If they strike out on LA, they should bypass Jordan and Monroe and go after Chandler on a 1 year deal with 2nd year team option and offer the max to Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard.

Final option will be to re-sign keep Jordan Hill and Ed Davis and offer Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard the max. It should be worth noting that Upshaw may make the team and he may mold into a DeAndre Jordan/Ben Wallace type of defensive anchor if he can keep his head straight.

I will not lie and say I have watched ton of Monroe's games but let us just look at the facts.
For 2014 season, per 100 possessions defensive rating.
Monroe, 103,
Hill, 108
Chandler-103.
Overall, career wise, Tyson has the best at 102 but like you said, he has been having trouble staying healthy and he has a lot of limitations on offense, unlike Monroe.
Hill is developed a pretty steady touch from 12-17 feet and has a relatively good jump hook, but him playing just 26 mins/game when he was the starting center, that it seems to me that Byron doesn't like him that much.
I have not crunched the numbers but I like the Lakers to offer the max on Leonard if LMA AND Monroe declines bec I think the Spurs don't have enough money to pay ALL their major players, I could be wrong.
The main thing for me is I would hate for the Laker MGT to give up once they get declined by 3 or 4 Free agents. Pat Riley before tried to get Elton Brand but was matched by the Clips, so he tried again and snagged Odom which he later on flipped along with other pieces to get Shaq.
There are other cheaper alternatives out there. Millsap and Brendan Wright may not be great players but they can really help IMO.
I also would love to get Danny Green, a great shooter and one of the top 16 in defensive rating last season. Again, I don't think the Spurs can pay him if they snag LMA and retain Kawhi.

[bladefd]

Here's my updated list of who I want in LA in order:

-LaMarcus Aldridge
-Greg Monroe
-Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler (Butler can play both SG and SF very well)
-Brook Lopez or Tyson Chandler
-Kevin Love (recently he indicated he is staying with Cavs)
-Harrison Barnes

From those, it seems like Lamarcus/Monroe/Chandler are our only realistic options. The others you offer, but I doubt they're leaving their current teams. I would prefer not to get Chandler because he is 32, but if there is no choice then so be it.
I don't want DeAndre Jordan due to hack-a-Shaq + DeAndre has no offense to speak of. He is a liability when on the floor.

Well, it seems like Leonard/Butler are off the list as Leonard is returning to Spurs. Bulls offered Butler 5yr 90mil.

-LaMarcus Aldridge
-Greg Monroe
-Brook Lopez or Tyson Chandler
-Kevin Love (recently he indicated he is staying with Cavs)
-Harrison Barnes

LaMarcus meeting with Lakers today

[magic chiongson]

is robin lopez an upgrade over jordan hill?

[dd24]

is robin lopez an upgrade over jordan hill?

Maybe a little bit.

[bladefd]

Maybe a little bit.

Not enough to be worth it though. Hill you can retain for cheaper than Robin Lopez.

[dd24]

Yeah, it definitely depends on the contract size.

[tamaraw08]

Not enough to be worth it though. Hill you can retain for cheaper than Robin Lopez.

Another alternative is Omer Asik.
Not prolific as 7 pts/game but a solid rebounder at 10 rebs, plus he knows his limits as he shoots a respectable 53%.
But my question is with the Warriors formula, do the Lakers badly need a pure center?
Or should the Lakers adapt and focus on smaller/more mobile forwards like Tobias Harris, Paul Millsap etc.

[dd24]

Another alternative is Omer Asik.
Not prolific as 7 pts/game but a solid rebounder at 10 rebs, plus he knows his limits as he shoots a respectable 53%.
But my question is with the Warriors formula, do the Lakers badly need a pure center?
Or should the Lakers adapt and focus on smaller/more mobile forwards like Tobias Harris, Paul Millsap etc.

The Warriors needed Bogut. There's definitely match ups they can't win without him. Plus the Warriors have far more outside shooters than the Lakers. The Lakers can't pull that off the same at all.

[ihatetimthomas]

My feel is Monroe is the best chance Lakers have at a big signing. It kind of makes sense for both sides. He is also very young so he can grow with the core.

Conflicting reports on how the Aldridge meeting went. Was always tough for me to see why he would choose the current Lakers over the current Spurs at equal money. Still a chance but not seeing it.

I don't see Lakers getting Deandre, Green, Gasol or any of the big named free agents.

While Lakers are more attractive than last year, they still are pretty far away from contending.

[ihatetimthomas]

The Warriors needed Bogut. There's definitely match ups they can't win without him. Plus the Warriors have far more outside shooters than the Lakers. The Lakers can't pull that off the same at all.

Agreed. Maybe not in the finals, but throughout the season there are going to be matchup issues. You absolutely need a legit big to matchup against certain teams.

[dd24]

My feel is Monroe is the best chance Lakers have at a big signing. It kind of makes sense for both sides. He is also very young so he can grow with the core.

Conflicting reports on how the Aldridge meeting went. Was always tough for me to see why he would choose the current Lakers over the current Spurs at equal money. Still a chance but not seeing it.

I don't see Lakers getting Deandre, Green, Gasol or any of the big named free agents.

While Lakers are more attractive than last year, they still are pretty far away from contending.

I'd rather have Monroe than DeAndre. Monroe can actually pass, dribble, hit a bucket, etc. The guy averages a double double. There's only a handful of people in the league that can do that. I think once he leaves Detroit people will actually see how good he is. It's kind of like what happened with Chauncey. He really reminds me a lot of Gasol. That worked out pretty good for the Lakers.

[ihatetimthomas]

I feel like the Lakers swinging for the most coveted free agents the last 2 years is why Lakers continue to come up short.

While they are spending all this time courting these big named free agents, all the players who are a tier below the elite free agents are getting signed and Lakers are losing out. This happened last year too.

Lakers are not attractive enough to come play to. They are still far away from contending. This makes it tough to sign a big time free agent.

Monroe seems to make most sense as he is not the biggest named free agent, is young and may not necessarily need to be on a winning squad. Lakers need to shift all focus to him if they want to sign a significant free agent.

[$LakerGold]

Yeah, we're not landing LMA. LMA's out, Kevin Love's out -- the dream isn't real.

[bladefd]

Well, it seems like Leonard/Butler are off the list as Leonard is returning to Spurs. Bulls offered Butler 5yr 90mil.

-LaMarcus Aldridge
-Greg Monroe
-Brook Lopez or Tyson Chandler
-Kevin Love (recently he indicated he is staying with Cavs)
-Harrison Barnes

LaMarcus meeting with Lakers today

Cross Tyson Chandler and Lamarcus off the list now.. same with Kevin Love..

That leaves:
-Greg Monroe
-Brook Lopez
-Draymond Green
-Harrison Barnes

Added Draymond Green to the list. I doubt he is going to leave the Warriors though.. Not realistic..

[ihatetimthomas]

So from what I hear, he was not impressed with the basketball portion of the pitch. Too much about how the city of Los Angeles benefits his brand, not how they will win on the court. Houston impressed him because of their focus on analytics. So it seems the whole living in Los Angeles attraction is gone. I feel the pitch should be about both sides, basketball reasons and how they can bike their brand. Unfortunately there is not much basketball things to pitch. Lakers living in the past where other teams are showing them the future