Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why give up anything? Leonard has already said he wants to be in a Lakers uniform when he is a free agent. Considering the damage he'll bring with him and all of the drama and childish BS, I wouldn't offer him much of a salary package either. He reminds me a lot of Dez Bryant who thought he was the best ever. He thought he could command huge dollars some where besides Dallas. Now he just wants to play anywhere but nobody is reaching for the checkbook. Dennis Rodman was probably the best defensive player ever. But even the Bulls got tired of his childish crap. The Spurs took him on with restrictions they weren't going to baby sit him. That lasted a couple of years. Rodman most likely can still out play most of the current NBA but nobody needs to baby sit a supposed full grown man. That's what Leonard brings and frankly, it wouldn't surprise me none to see Leonard in a Spurs uniform next season and then bail out only to find no takers when he's a free agent. The NBA is about professionalism. Something Leonards uncle has no clue about. If Ball is a distraction for the Lakers, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait for Leonards uncle shows up to show you what a complete dumbass is. When all is said and done, Leonard will go quietly into the sunset not leaving behind the legacy he could have had in the NBA. Why? Because he has no balls to control his own destiny. There are those that are great(LeBron, Jordan, Bryant, Duncan,etc). There are those who have greatness shoved upon them. Then there's those that could have been great. Leonard is among the last group. Lakers fans are about to find out why the negative sentiment towards Leonard from Spurs fans. You are more than welcome to him and hopefully, this year. Today would be even better.
SA would have to get at least what Indy got for Paul George--Oladipo and Sabonis. Everyone now knows about Oladipo, but Sabonis also had a nice season--51.4% FG, .351% threes, and over 7 rebounds in 24 minutes per game.
If I'm SA I want Kuzma and another piece, maybe a first round pick or IT (I don't know if they could sign and trade him). I still think IT is underrated and will be back. In his last full year (2016) he went to the free throw line 649 times, and made 590 (.909%). He also had a efg% of .546, and 28.9 pts/game. I'll take a defensive liability in exchange for those numbers.
1. Either Brandon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma.
2. Josh Hart.
3. A future number 1 pick or this year's #1 pick Moritz Wagner.
And that would be all.
This is similar to what one of the analysts on ESPN was saying they could/should give up and how the Lakers would have enough money to go after Kawhi and some other good players. I can't find the video I saw one morning on TV, but I think he said Kuzma and know he said Wagner for sure and then one other player--don't think Ingram was involved, and I know Ball wasn't.
I did just see an ESPN video where an analyst was basically saying get rid of Randle, Ball, Ennis, Zubac and Bryant so that they can get George, LeBronZE and Kawhi.
If I were a Lakers fan, I really wouldn't even care who they got rid of. There is no one on that team to be sorry to see go. I liked Kuzma this past season, he was a nice surprise...but other than that, I wouldn't care one bit, especially if it resulted in players like LeBronZE and Kawhi both coming (I like Wagner, as a Michigan fan, but Wagner...can't really defend big guys in the post). You're talking about becoming a team again that can not only make the playoffs every single season but can play in the conference finals sometimes and maybe even in the finals sometimes. And just getting Kawhi wouldn't be enough--it better result in Kawhi and somebody else big time coming.
^^That's the way I see it. Get rid of whoever you need to get rid of to get LeBron and Co. The Lakers are a joke and have been for a while. This group has potential but it's past time for building the Lakers. It's time to be relevant again. LeBron and Co. might not beat the Warriors but they'd at least be in the play-offs and have a shot.
We'd have to give up next year's #1 pick for sure and probably Josh Hart (who will be a solid back-up point guard for many years in this league). But out of Kuzma and Ingram, it's a tough one for me to choose to give up. Ingram's going to turn into an all-star in a few years, he'll be a 20 point/game guy who can be a quality defender as well. He's already added some bulk to his frame between rookie and 2nd year. In fact, you barely heard about how skinny he was this year as opposed to his rookie year when that seemed like the thing that most focused on. So in the end I'd rather keep Ingram.
The benefit for keeping Kuzma, though, is that he is cost-controlled (at less money) for one year longer.
1. Either Brandon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma.
2. Josh Hart.
3. A future number 1 pick or this year's #1 pick Moritz Wagner.
And that would be all.
No mention of Lonzo Ball. Is that because you figure no one wants him, or you value him more then Kuzma and Ingram? I may be wrong but I have a strong feeling Lebron may not want Lonzo there.
I don't think Ball has any value, and on top of that, who really wants to deal with his Dad. If he turned out to be a gunner and could score, LA would obviously keep him. There's really no salary to ditch, so at the end of the day, LA was stuck with Ball, good or bad. Definitely rather have him be good than bad though, since that makes the investment worth while. I think LA in a sense wanted to capture a bit of the marketing value that Ball had coming out of college that was constructed by Dad. I don't think there's anything to see there in the near future but smoke and mirrors. Ingram is the guy that I hate to see go. I think him and Kuzma are the real gems on this team, but when you can make a run at Lebron, George, and/or Kawhi, you win now to shoulder your future later.
LA is going anywhere fast as they're currently constructed and if this team doesn't go anywhere in the next 2 seasons, there's going to be a lot of frustration within the fanbase and organization. Why has Ball made the leap, why isn't Randle better, where's the Ingram development? I don't think Magic can afford that kind of time and he knows that as well. He knows the business and he knows how it works.
I agree, I don't think Ball would have much value right now. He was a very poor draft pick choice by Magic. Given recent history, I think many teams would shy away from a point guard who can't shoot threes. His 3pt% was .305, and his free-throw pct. was .451.
If he can fix that, I think he could be good. But until he proves that he can--little to no value. Certainly I don't think the Spurs would be interested.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
