NBA Free Agency Thread

[Eielson]

It's a little concerning to need a big, but get turned down by Gasol, Aldridge, Love, and probably Jordan. Those weren't the guys that were going to make the difference, though. They would certainly make it more fun to watch, and the Lakers would be darkhorse contenders if Kobe had a little magic left, but we all know he doesn't. This makes it a little easier on us when we have another subpar season.

Ultimately, it's all about how Russell and Randle develop, and a little bit about Clarkson as Russell's running mate potentially. Aldridge probably doesn't do anything to help their development. He just makes it a little more sufferable to watch the development.

One more ride for team tank! Let's get that top 3 pick!

(I know we're not getting a top 3 pick. I'm just kidding.)

 

[jmizzy4ou]

lol @ striking out. The bottom line is that Aldridge wants to play PF and the lakers pitched him as a center. It's not a fit. No biggie. The will build organically and be better for it in the long run.

Seriously missing on Howard, Melo or Aldridge is "striking out" or hitting a home run? They can only afford 1 of those guys and none of them are title caliber leading men.

Not according to reports coming out of LA. The Lakers pitched him as having a chance to form a 3some with Kobe and Jordan, but the problem is Jordan also isn't interested.

You can spin it how you want, but we all know Aldridge would have been a great addition now, and in the immediate future. PF's who can get you 25 & 10 don't just fall in your lap.

The FA's LA is missing on in the last couple of yrs are FA's Dr. Buss would have been taking celebratory pics with. Yes I am concerned we have thrown our hat in every ring in the last 2 free agent periods & came back with 000000.

 

[sperry]

Lakers may as well tank this year and add another piece in the draft next year (although the draft is nowhere near as strong next year). Then you have a young core of Russell, Randle, plus one more high lottery pick, and can add a big time FA a couple years down the line.

 

[Smash Williams]

For a team looking to rebuild quickly by getting multiple stars through free agency, the biggest hurdle is getting the first star. Guys like Aldridge, Howard, or even Love may not be the type of superstars that can carry a team on their backs to the championship, but they are the type of talent that attracts those rare megastars. You're not winning a title if one of those guys is your only star, but you could if they're your second- or third-best players.

Stars want to play with other established stars. In 2012, before the Lakers traded for Howard, the Rockets tried to trade for him, but Dwight refused to play for Houston. Shortly thereafter, the Rockets trade for Harden, and the next summer a star center with a bad back leaves money on the table (not to mention the spotlight that he whorishly craved) to join the team that he refused to be traded to less than 12 months before that. Last summer, the Rockets were on the verge of signing Bosh before the Heat massively increased their offer. Sure, Howard is a clown, Harden carried him and a lineup missing two starters (Beverley, Montiejunas) to the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers will likely get a meeting with Kevin Durant next summer. That meeting would be more promising if the Lakers could tell him, "We already have LaMarcus on board, and you know what your fellow Longhorn can do. We also have a defensive anchor in Dwight Howard/DeAndre Jordan. You three guys would be the most dominant frontcourt in the league, coupled with a couple of promising young guards."

That's a better pitch than, "You're about to turn 28 years old, and you're looking around because you badly want to win a championship, so let us tell you why you should leave Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in order to join forces with a 20-year-old PG, a 21-year-old PF, and maybe another superstar free agent who will commit to us only after you elect to sign here. Use your imagination on that last part, because we don't have anything concrete to sell."

Perhaps D'Angelo Russell develops into a superstar, but he's only 19 years old. Is it reasonable to expect him to be so good so early as a rookie that superstar free agents will be clamoring to commit the prime years of their careers to the Lakers next summer? Probably not. Same goes for Randle, especially immediately coming off that injury.

 

[Smash Williams]

Lakers may as well tank this year and add another piece in the draft next year (although the draft is nowhere near as strong next year). Then you have a young core of Russell, Randle, plus one more high lottery pick, and can add a big time FA a couple years down the line.

If one (likely Russell) or maybe two of those young guys develops into a star while still on their rookie deals (thus, taking up minimal cap space), that's a really attractive situation for free agents a few years down the line, particularly with Kobe long gone.

 

[bocabull]

Everything you say is true smash. The deal is these guys (Gasol, Aldridge) are older. It just doesn't make sense for them to risk coming to a completely rebuilding team. Love is in too good of a situation to leave.

My point with Mizzy is none of this is really surprising and none of it has to do with Dr. Buss being gone. Kareem & Wilkes were already Lakers when Buss bought the team. Magic, Worthy, Norm Nixon were drafted by the Lakers, Rambis was cut by the Knicks and Byron Scott was a draft trade with the Clippers for Nixon. Kobe & Bynum were drafted.

Shaq is the only major free agent Buss acquired and he wanted the LA scene and limelight no matter what. The Lakers history is really about excellent drafting with a couple great trades. Kupchak & Jim Buss pulled off the Pau trade.

The Lakers way would be that Randle & Russell become superstars, Upshaw turns into a Rambis steal and Clarkson, Nance Jr are huge overachievers. Then they add a couple complimentary free agents like McAdoo, Odom, Artest etc.

 

[bocabull]

Why are the Magic trying to offer Paul Millsap a max deal when they should be offering Greg Monroe a max deal? Monroe is bigger, more skilled, and 5 years younger.

Vucevic and Monroe would be a potent post combination down in Orlando.

A match made in heaven for thebigabd!! Greg Monroe to the Bucks. haha

Very glad the Lakers refused to offer him a max deal. He could be a good fit there but it's all about Jabari Parker recovering from the ACL.

 

[Eielson]

If there was a Shaq-type FA this year, the Lakers would have gone after him with both guns blazing, and probably would have pulled it off. These guys aren't anywhere near that level, though, and I think that negates most of LA's advantage. As good as LMA is, given his age, the Lakers weren't going to be building around him. He plays the same position as Randle, and it's clear that Randle and Russell are the future. He could win a championship in LA, but he might be coming off the bench by that time, as it wouldn't come until he was 32 or 33.

Next year, however, Kevin Durant is a free agent. He is the kind of guy that LA would build their team around despite having Russell and Randle. If he isn't happy in OKC, things could get interesting.

 

[Eielson]

Not a huge fan of Monroe, but how about the Bucks?? I was already big on them if they didn't make a move. MCW, Middleton, Parker, Antetokounmpo, and Monroe! That's one of the most balanced, young lineups I've ever seen. I think Kidd is a great coach, too, so I expect they will rule the East for many years.

 

[NickZepp]

Not a huge fan of Monroe, but how about the Bucks?? I was already big on them if they didn't make a move. MCW, Middleton, Parker, Antetokounmpo, and Monroe! That's one of the most balanced, young lineups I've ever seen. I think Kidd is a great coach, too, so I expect they will rule the East for many years.

As long as Cleveland still has LeBron they won't rule the east, but they will be right there with Chicago as contenders every year.

 

[bocabull]

Great points. Whoever the next big free agent is they will have to have the ego and confidence of Kareem and Shaq and the ability to be an MVP. Melo, Howard, Gasol, Aldridge, Love aren't MVP caliber and knew they wouldn't be able to live up to the pressure. Durant is that good, and if the Lakers young guns were moving in the right direction he could cement his legacy if he came and led them to a title.

But he's not really a spotlight whore and staying with the the Thunder seems to be his style. You never know. He might want to change his image.

 

[NickZepp]

This isn't the old days when you could pretty much only get big endorsements and big deals with big market teams. There aren't any big time centers anymore like Shaq or Kareem. Getting a Howard or Aldridge is getting someone akin to that level of big man now a days. And LA had Howard but didn't know what to do with him.

I think if LA wants to stay the course and build with the young core they have, that could be the way to go. It may mean having a couple tough years, but with Russell who could be a star in this league, Randle and Clarkson you can probably build something around that little group if you get the right pieces. But it's evident that they don't know how to sell their future to free agents, or they don't know the free agents that could fit that core group.

 

[SoopaSooner]

Not a huge fan of Monroe, but how about the Bucks?? I was already big on them if they didn't make a move. MCW, Middleton, Parker, Antetokounmpo, and Monroe! That's one of the most balanced, young lineups I've ever seen. I think Kidd is a great coach, too, so I expect they will rule the East for many years.

Bucks have done a pretty good job building that team up. The Greek freak pick being the major coup.

 

[Eielson]

As long as Cleveland still has LeBron they won't rule the east, but they will be right there with Chicago as contenders every year.

I think this Bucks team, in another year or two, could control the series from opening tip against this year's Cavs (not a sweep, but probably a solid 4-2). The Cavs are almost inevitably on a downward trajectory, so I'd be surprised if they put up much of a fight in 2-3 years.

Things still have to come together, though. There is no guarantee they will end up being the stars they are projected to be. It's a pretty good bet right now, though.

 

[Eielson]

Bucks have done a pretty good job building that team up. The Greek freak pick being the major coup.

GMs that can hit on picks from 10-15 are worth their weight in gold. Klay was huge at GS, the Greek Freak will be huge for the Bucks, and there are a handful of other guys like Leonard at SA and George with the Pacers. Top 5 picks are usually obvious decisions for anybody, and hitting on late first and second rounders often is about as much luck as anything.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Not a huge fan of Monroe, but how about the Bucks?? I was already big on them if they didn't make a move. MCW, Middleton, Parker, Antetokounmpo, and Monroe! That's one of the most balanced, young lineups I've ever seen. I think Kidd is a great coach, too, so I expect they will rule the East for many years.

tap the breaks. Most balanced young lineups you've ever seen?

MCW is a good pg. lots of potential but he is a dime a dozen talent right now

I like middleton a lot but he isn't a superstar.

Parker hasn't proven anything yet

Greek is also another good player but not a superstar

Monroe will easily be their best player. I like him a lot


They are pretty young. But they stil don't have a superstar or experience and will struggle quite a bit

 

[jmizzy4ou]

For a team looking to rebuild quickly by getting multiple stars through free agency, the biggest hurdle is getting the first star. Guys like Aldridge, Howard, or even Love may not be the type of superstars that can carry a team on their backs to the championship, but they are the type of talent that attracts those rare megastars. You're not winning a title if one of those guys is your only star, but you could if they're your second- or third-best players.

Stars want to play with other established stars. In 2012, before the Lakers traded for Howard, the Rockets tried to trade for him, but Dwight refused to play for Houston. Shortly thereafter, the Rockets trade for Harden, and the next summer a star center with a bad back leaves money on the table (not to mention the spotlight that he whorishly craved) to join the team that he refused to be traded to less than 12 months before that. Last summer, the Rockets were on the verge of signing Bosh before the Heat massively increased their offer. Sure, Howard is a clown, Harden carried him and a lineup missing two starters (Beverley, Montiejunas) to the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers will likely get a meeting with Kevin Durant next summer. That meeting would be more promising if the Lakers could tell him, "We already have LaMarcus on board, and you know what your fellow Longhorn can do. We also have a defensive anchor in Dwight Howard/DeAndre Jordan. You three guys would be the most dominant frontcourt in the league, coupled with a couple of promising young guards."

That's a better pitch than, "You're about to turn 28 years old, and you're looking around because you badly want to win a championship, so let us tell you why you should leave Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in order to join forces with a 20-year-old PG, a 21-year-old PF, and maybe another superstar free agent who will commit to us only after you elect to sign here. Use your imagination on that last part, because we don't have anything concrete to sell."

Perhaps D'Angelo Russell develops into a superstar, but he's only 19 years old. Is it reasonable to expect him to be so good so early as a rookie that superstar free agents will be clamoring to commit the prime years of their careers to the Lakers next summer? Probably not. Same goes for Randle, especially immediately coming off that injury.

This is it right here.........

Why would KD or RW come to LA to play with a bunch of Smush Parker types......

Everybody & their mothers will be in on KD and RW. The appeal of playing in LA is now just as prevalent in Clipper land as it is in LaLa Land. If we can't pull an Aldridge, Gasol, Jordan, Melo, etc with big money, I'm not seeing the hope in landing a KD. He's shown me nothing indicating he would jump to an LA with unproven youngsters. His title would come much faster in OKC...... Or even DC for that matter.

 

[bocabull]

But it's evident that they don't know how to sell their future to free agents, or they don't know the free agents that could fit that core group.

Actually the problem is they are trying to sell their future to older free agents only concerned about the now. It's a timing issue. Nothing more.

 

[Smash Williams]

Everything you say is true smash. The deal is these guys (Gasol, Aldridge) are older. It just doesn't make sense for them to risk coming to a completely rebuilding team. Love is in too good of a situation to leave.

My point with Mizzy is none of this is really surprising and none of it has to do with Dr. Buss being gone. Kareem & Wilkes were already Lakers when Buss bought the team. Magic, Worthy, Norm Nixon were drafted by the Lakers, Rambis was cut by the Knicks and Byron Scott was a draft trade with the Clippers for Nixon. Kobe & Bynum were drafted.

Shaq is the only major free agent Buss acquired and he wanted the LA scene and limelight no matter what. The Lakers history is really about excellent drafting with a couple great trades. Kupchak & Jim Buss pulled off the Pau trade.

The Lakers way would be that Randle & Russell become superstars, Upshaw turns into a Rambis steal and Clarkson, Nance Jr are huge overachievers. Then they add a couple complimentary free agents like McAdoo, Odom, Artest etc.

Obviously Jerry West deserves a ton of credit. While he did a lot of his damage through the draft, he also did a terrific job of flipping assets rather than losing them for nothing.

He drafted Divac, then turned him into the Kobe pick. He drafted Eddie Jones, then when Jones stood in the way of Kobe getting more shots and minutes (also, he didn't get along with Shaq), West flipped EJ and Elden Campbell (another West pick) for Glen Rice, an important floor-spacer in the Lakers' first Shaq-Kobe title run. A couple years later Rice was part of a deal for Horace Grant, who started during the Lakers' second Shaq-Kobe title run.

Kupchak kept that going by turning Shaq into Caron Butler and Lamar Odom. Butler turned into Kwame; that didn't work out, but his large expiring was part of the Gasol trade. The trade exception received from trading Odom was used in the Nash sign-and-trade. Kupchak drafted Bynum and turned him into Howard.

Not all of those West and Kupchak deals resulted in equal or greater value, but the point is that they took their largely drafted riches and rolled them into other assets down the line, rather than losing them without any compensation.

But in the last two years, the Lakers have lost two major pieces--Howard and Gasol--without compensation. They tried to re-sign both but failed. That was a poor reading of the tea leaves. In neither case was a trade of one of those guys breaking up a championship contender. Yeah, the Lakers ended up with cap space down the road, but even for the mighty Lakers cap space isn't enough to acquire a superstar without a quality roster already in place. For a team that gave up so many picks in the Nash sign-and-trade, picking up at least a couple of picks for Howard and Gasol would have been nice and facilitated the rebuilding effort.

I don't know all of the details of the Lakers' decisions to hang on to Howard and Gasol on the brink of free agency, but I doubt the Lakers' hesitance to move into rebuilding mode was Kupchak's decision, particularly with the meddlesome Jimmy Buss at the helm.

The Lakers aren't doomed. They'll probably rebound in a couple of years, but they didn't make the rebuild any easier on themselves.

 

[bocabull]

Had they kept Howard and/or Gasol they wouldn't have won anything and wouldn't have Russell or Randle. The rules have changed. Shaq and Lebron are the only free agents in the past 30 years to lead a title team. Stars are acquired via the draft. There is a massive dropoff in star potential after the first 3-8 picks. You have to suck to get a star these days. It's just the way it is.