150 replies to this topic

[Pedro Cerrano]

Lakers would have to sign him as an UFA. I would be pissed if the Wiz traded Beal for one year of Love.

[Matt_P]

Do the Lakers have anything to trade outside of their 1st round pick this year.

The Wiz could dangle Beal.

 

The Lakers can trade their 2014, 2016 and 2018 First Round picks for Love. They can also eat Love's entire contract without forcing Minnesota to take something bad back.

 

Are the Bulls willing to trade Noah or Gibson? Feel like the Bobcats or Suns could make a play for him.

[JeremyStrain]

Lakers would have to sign him as an UFA. I would be pissed if the Wiz traded Beal for one year of Love.

 

Same here. Maybe Nene, Porter and some picks? Wiz have a ton of cap room, but hardly anyone under contract to trade. Can't see them dealing either of Wall or Beal after the playoff run.

[Pedro Cerrano]

The Lakers can trade their 2014, 2016 and 2018 First Round picks for Love. They can also eat Love's entire contract without forcing Minnesota to take something bad back.

 

Are the Bulls willing to trade Noah or Gibson? Feel like the Bobcats or Suns could make a play for him.

 

This would be galactically stupid when the Lakers can simply sign him as an UFA after next year.

 

They already rolled a similar dice like this with Howard and it burned them -- don't see that happening again.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Same here. Maybe Nene, Porter and some picks? Wiz have a ton of cap room, but hardly anyone under contract to trade. Can't see them dealing either of Wall or Beal after the playoff run.

 

Wouldn't mind that.  Assuming they can get Ariza and Gortat back at reasonable deals, a starting 5 of Wall, Beal, Ariza, Love and Gortat makes them East favorites IMO, especially if the dudes in Miami go their separate ways.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Phoenix with all of their 1st round picks, or Boston with the potential high lottery pick seem like fits.

[JeremyStrain]

Wouldn't mind that.  Assuming they can get Ariza and Gortat back at reasonable deals, a starting 5 of Wall, Beal, Ariza, Love and Gortat makes them East favorites IMO, especially if the dudes in Miami go their separate ways.

 

Yeah I figure that's the key, what/if they can sign Ariza and Gortat for. If they overspend there, it kills their chance to bring in the big HR hitter they need. Part of me wonders if they aren't hoping to make a play for Durant when they get a chance and won't spend anything right now.

[Matt_P]

This would be galactically stupid when the Lakers can simply sign him as an UFA after next year.

 

They already rolled a similar dice like this with Howard and it burned them -- don't see that happening again.

 

They can try to sign Love as a UFA next year but Kobe will be a year older. Are they willing to waste one of Kobe's last two remaining years? Can you get Love to exercise his 2016 option?

 

It depends on whether they think that Nash and Kobe can come back 100%. Nash, Kobe and Love is a pretty good foundation and they'd still be $12 million under the cap. If they can trade Nash plus the picks for Love then they'd have another $21 million. Can you get LeBron to opt out in order to play with Kobe and Love?

[BSLMikeLowe]

The Lakers can trade their 2014, 2016 and 2018 First Round picks for Love. They can also eat Love's entire contract without forcing Minnesota to take something bad back.

 

Isn't there still a rule where you can't trade your 1st Round pick in consecutive years? If so, then that's a problem because LA owes Phoenix its 1st Round pick in 2015 (Nash trade) and Orlando its 1st Round pick in 2017 (Howard trade). Both picks are Top 5 protected though and would convert to two 2nd Round picks in the event that occurred.

 

EDIT: Looked it up. The rule still applies, with caveats. You can trade picks in back-to-back years if one of the drafts has already passed. You can also trade consecutive 1st Round picks if you are getting a 1st Round pick back (hence the Nets recently making a couple trades where the other teams get the right to swap picks with them if Brooklyn's pick is more favorable).

[Matt_P]

Same here. Maybe Nene, Porter and some picks? Wiz have a ton of cap room, but hardly anyone under contract to trade. Can't see them dealing either of Wall or Beal after the playoff run.

 

In theory we could do a Sign-and-Trade with Ariza and/or Gortat. The Timberwolves could use a SF but will be over the cap in 2015 and be limited to their mid-level exception. They'd be interested in Ariza.

[Matt_P]

Isn't there still a rule where you can't trade your 1st Round pick in consecutive years? If so, then that's a problem because LA owes Phoenix its 1st Round pick in 2015 (Nash trade) and Orlando its 1st Round pick in 2017 (Howard trade). Both picks are Top 5 protected though and would convert to two 2nd Round picks in the event that occurred.

 

Yes. My fault.

[mweb08]

This would be galactically stupid when the Lakers can simply sign him as an UFA after next year.
 
They already rolled a similar dice like this with Howard and it burned them -- don't see that happening again.

 
They can try to sign Love as a UFA next year but Kobe will be a year older. Are they willing to waste one of Kobe's last two remaining years? Can you get Love to exercise his 2016 option?
 
It depends on whether they think that Nash and Kobe can come back 100%. Nash, Kobe and Love is a pretty good foundation and they'd still be $12 million under the cap. If they can trade Nash plus the picks for Love then they'd have another $21 million. Can you get LeBron to opt out in order to play with Kobe and Love?

The Lakers are wasting next year regardless IMO. I don't think Kobe is helping attract talent at this point either. If I'm Love, I'd be very weary of extending anywhere though as the Lakers would be a great landing spot as a free agent and it's nice to keep options available.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'm still envisioning a Love/Westbrook team-up in LA and Durant coming to join Wall and Beal in DC.

 

A guy can dream, right?

[BSLMikeLowe]

The Lakers are wasting next year regardless IMO. I don't think Kobe is helping attract talent at this point either. If I'm Love, I'd be very weary of extending anywhere though as the Lakers would be a great landing spot as a free agent and it's nice to keep options available.

 

I don't think Love is going to sign an extension no matter what, even if he is traded exactly where he wants to go, because I'm pretty certain that per the CBA it would be more financially lucrative for him to become a free agent first (even if he re-signs with the same team).

[DJ MC]

I don't think Love is going to sign an extension no matter what, even if he is traded exactly where he wants to go, because I'm pretty certain that per the CBA it would be more financially lucrative for him to become a free agent first (even if he re-signs with the same team).

 

Wouldn't it be the same thing whether he signs an extension in the last year of a contract or waits for free agency?

[BSLMikeLowe]

Wouldn't it be the same thing whether he signs an extension in the last year of a contract or waits for free agency?

 

I don't think so. I'm going off something I read in the local paper the other day about LaMarcus Aldridge. It said that the Blazers could give him more money in a max deal if he waits until he hits free agency next summer vs extending this summer. Of course Love is in a somewhat different situation....he has a player-option for 2015-16, which I'm sure he'll decline no matter where he's playing. Not certain if that makes a difference in what the max is that his current team could offer next summer.

[SportsGuy]

David Lee and Klay Thompson?

[Matt_P]

I don't think Love is going to sign an extension no matter what, even if he is traded exactly where he wants to go, because I'm pretty certain that per the CBA it would be more financially lucrative for him to become a free agent first (even if he re-signs with the same team).

 

I don't know about that. He wants to win more than he wants the money. He may find that it's hard to find a good team that is twenty million under the cap. The Knicks, Celtics and Raptors will have money to sign him in FA but won't have any players remaining. The Cavs could afford him if he wants to play with Irving. The Hawks could afford him if he wanted to play with Horford and Teague. Maybe the Spurs, Rockets or Suns.

 

If the Wizards don't keep Gortat or Ariza and also don't add any top free agents this year then they'll be in a position to add him next year but that seems unlikely. It makes sense to let Ariza go elsewhere because it puts them in a position to get a max player.

[JeremyStrain]

I don't know about that. He wants to win more than he wants the money. He may find that it's hard to find a good team that is twenty million under the cap. The Knicks, Celtics and Raptors will have money to sign him in FA but won't have any players remaining. The Cavs could afford him if he wants to play with Irving. The Hawks could afford him if he wanted to play with Horford and Teague. Maybe the Spurs, Rockets or Suns.

 

If the Wizards don't keep Gortat or Ariza and also don't add any top free agents this year then they'll be in a position to add him next year but that seems unlikely. It makes sense to let Ariza go elsewhere because it puts them in a position to get a max player.

 

I read yesterday that both Gortat and Ariza loved it here (after they improved) but Ariza is looking to get paid, and Gortat made it sound like it wasn't even a possibility he was leaving. All his answers were we and us talking about next year.

[Matt_P]

I read yesterday that both Gortat and Ariza loved it here (after they improved) but Ariza is looking to get paid, and Gortat made it sound like it wasn't even a possibility he was leaving. All his answers were we and us talking about next year.

 

Isn't Ariza the guy that was a reserve last year, injured most of the year before that and has only been good when playing with either Kobe Bryant or John Wall? I think you're right that someone is going to pay Ariza but I think that team is going to regret it.