Jazz and Knicks discussing Donovan Mitchell trade per Shams Charania and Tony Jones

[LogGrad98]

Players to target in 2023: Best player available regardless of position. We have 0 players to build around, that is our main goal with every draft until we get those guys. Our roster is role players at best assuming we trade Mitchell. Even with later picks we should swing for the fences for every guy. No reason to try for more role players, we need big potential guys.

This. If we get a top pick (top 3) we absolutely need a top guy, regardless of position. BPA, with the caveat it is not a project like DexEx.

 

[LogGrad98]

Today is coming… just maybe not today

You mean, like, tomorrow?

 

[NUMBERICA]

Lebron’s contract expires in 2025 and he will be 40+ by that time and maybe even playing for another team the next year. AD could be a corpse by then. If they get Kyrie, he will be 33 and he has an extremely checkered history in terms of helping teams win.

In the intervening years, they will be running pretty dry on draft assets to reload their talent (and they’ll be capped out).

Also, when was the last time the Lakers were good without Lebron? Given their ownership disaster and that he’s gonna likely be exiting in some form or fashion, I’m not sure there’s a better bet on unprotected picks hitting than those picks.

 

[sip]

Players to target in 2023: Best player available regardless of position. We have 0 players to build around, that is our main goal with every draft until we get those guys. Our roster is role players at best assuming we trade Mitchell. Even with later picks we should swing for the fences for every guy. No reason to try for more role players, we need big potential guys.

Players to target are no one other than unproven players with upside. This rebuild needs to be done correctly and that means not jumping the gun in free agency. We should be expecting a 3 or 4 year rebuild.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

Lakers future is bleak. 5 years from now AD and Lebron aren’t on that roster and if they are they aren’t anything close to what they are now. They are currently a lotto team, they don’t own many picks in the future… they were a dumpster fire pre-Lebron. The Lakers picks are more valuable than the Knicks picks imo.

I mostly agree, but they will always be a free agency destination and with the cap jumping they will have plenty of chances to clear the books and sign some top level guys by 2027.

 

[stitches]

Anyone else having troubles with the forum today? I'm getting "The firewall on this server is blocking your connection." message and I have not found any other way to post except to go to my mentions and get to one of the threads I've posted and post there? Like I'm posting here...

 

[sip]

Lakers future is bleak. 5 years from now AD and Lebron aren’t on that roster and if they are they aren’t anything close to what they are now. They are currently a lotto team, they don’t own many picks in the future… they were a dumpster fire pre-Lebron. The Lakers picks are more valuable than the Knicks picks imo.

The Lakers are the number free agent destination. To say their future looks bleak is stupid when that is the case. To expect them to be bad in 5 years is a huge question mark.

 

[Elizah Huge]

The Lakers are the number free agent destination. To say their future looks bleak is stupid when that is the case. To expect them to be bad in 5 years is a huge question mark.

Besides LeBron (which I know was huge) who exactly have they signed in the last 15 years? They’re the Knicks of the West when it comes to free agency. They are always a free agency premium destination in theory more than actuality. They were terrible in Kobe’s last years and pre-LeBron.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

It is starting to get to the point where those Laker picks are getting WAYYY overrated. Lakers might end up being bad, but nobody needs to build them a roster AND pay Westbrook 50 million. There is a reason Indiana, who has been trying to trade Turner for 3 years, is turning their nose up at the deal.

We want to trade those guys for expiring contracts, so taking back Westbrook isn't really a burden for us. We also probably want to be able to trade multiple players for 1 in order to prepare for a Don trade. This helps us too.

I think this sentiment is mostly built out of spite for the Lakers, who seem stuck, and don't deserve a helping hand. I'm all for that sentiment, it's going to feel pretty awful if they win another title based on us helping them out.

Logically speaking, however, it really makes sense for both sides. If the Lakers can provide, unprotected picks that far in the future, it gets us a shot at a super premium pick vs the protected picks we would likely garner for our players individually.

 

[Thee Jazz Fan]

Today is coming… just maybe not today

One day today it will hit like a ton of bricks

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

The Lakers are the number free agent destination. To say their future looks bleak is stupid when that is the case. To expect them to be bad in 5 years is a huge question mark.

Besides LeBron (which I know was huge) who exactly have they signed in the last 15 years? They’re the Knicks of the West when it comes to free agency. They are always a free agency premium destination in theory more than actuality. They were terrible in Kobe’s last years and pre-LeBron.

Players generally don’t want to go into a market alone. Even LA. So they need to get someone to team up with and need to be FA at the same time. They could pull a Heat Big Three type of move… I’ll bet against it. They lost out on Lemarcus Aldridge in embarrassing fashion. Maybe they can retool quickly once Lebron fades out… but the fact that it will likely be a slow fade might work well as they don’t ever save up the assets to retool quickly.

Even with Lebron they have hit the lotto twice.

The other factor here… FA don’t hit FA like they used to with all the extensions. They usually extend them get traded… if there is nothing in the cupboard to trade then how does LA fully participate in FA… like how the Clips got Kawhi and PG? Assume Lakers will always be good because of beaches and sunshine is stupid.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

We want to trade those guys for expiring contracts, so taking back Westbrook isn't really a burden for us. We also probably want to be able to trade multiple players for 1 in order to prepare for a Don trade. This helps us too.

I think this sentiment is mostly built out of spite for the Lakers, who seem stuck, and don't deserve a helping hand. I'm all for that sentiment, it's going to feel pretty awful if they win another title based on us helping them out.

Logically speaking, however, it really makes sense for both sides. If the Lakers can provide, unprotected picks that far in the future, it gets us a shot at a super premium pick vs the protected picks we would likely garner for our players individually.

Agree…the premium to dumping Westbrook is somewhat real because of the size of the expiring… most teams just can’t accommodate it. It penalizes us in no way really because we aren’t trying to be good.