2019 Offseason Trade Rumors & Free Agency Thread

[CWood21]

3 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

What are you even talking about? What does Nike and New Balance have to do with anything? Endorsement deals don't change the fact that one of them will have to be the third fiddle on the court... In Miami Bosh became the third fiddle and sacrificed production and role to win then it was Love in Cleveland. Who will it be in Los Angeles? It certainly won't be LeBron James and I have a hard time believing it would be AD either. Rich Paul and LeBron are essentially the acting GM and team president, do you think they're going to let Kawhi be the center of the team while Bron defers for the first time in his life and another Rich Paul client/LeBron's butt buddy becomes a glorified floor spacer? Hell no. 

We were talking about how much money AD/LBJ make as opposed to Kawhi Leonard does.  It's because New Balance is a second tier business.  They're not Nike.  They're closer to Under Armour than they are Nike.  If you want to know why Kawhi Leonard isn't making more money through endorsements, it has more to do with whose representing him than his marketability.  Chris Bosh and Kevin Love became 3rd fiddle because they were vastly inferior players to Kyrie Irving and Dwyane Wade.  I mean, we're talking about Anthony Davis as arguably the most talented player LeBron James has ever played with.  Kawhi Leonard is significantly closer to Irving/Wade than he is Love/Bosh.  And it isn't even close.  As I said, I think Anthony Davis is more likely going to be the "third fiddle" given LeBron's history with Chris Bosh and Kevin Love.

6 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Paul George himself said that he was deadset on the Lakers, they didn't trade for him, he went somewhere else and HE CHANGED HIS MIND. If someone that goes on the record with their interest in being a Laker, why couldn't Kawhi have changed his mind? A lot has changed for him, he finally got healthy and he just ended the Warriors dynasty with one of the greatest playoff runs in recent history. You don't think that influences his decision? It could be as simple as his camp realizing they don't need a second star/third star to win, as long as he has a deep team, good coach, and good role players around him. You know, like he did in Toronto last season? It could be that LeBron is aging and was hurt a lot last year, AD has been hurt throughout his career... Those two go down and he's surrounded by Rondo / Korver / Kuzma / McGee... is that really what he wants to do? 

Make no mistake about it, Paul George chased the money.  There was NO reason for him to sign a 3+1 deal.  If he wanted to maximize his money, he would have signed a 2+1 and opted out of the last year so he can re-sign at 35% rate.  Maybe Russell Westbrook played a factor in it, but make no mistake about it that was all about the money.  There was no reason for him to sign a 3+1 deal last offseason.  It was all about the money there.  And as I've said, it's possible that Kawhi could have changed his mind, but I don't see him being mentally weak.

Why the HELL are we arguing hypotheticals on injuries?  I mean, he re-signs with Toronto and Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry go down with injuries, how do you think the Raptors are going to survive?  This is a stupid hypothetical.

9 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

You also fail to acknowledge that the Lakers organization has become a media circus. Magic talking about Rob P being a backstabber, Rich Paul pulling the strings behind the scenes, Jeanie being one of the worst owners in sports... In his press conference after they won the title this year Kawhi said he enjoyed his time in Toronto because the front office told him to just be himself and focus on basketball. It'll be a complete 180 with the Lakers where there will be a media crap storm surrounding the team, a ton of egos from top to bottom, and overall just a lot more distractions. 

Think about what you wanted a year ago, did it change at all? Or are you dead set on one thing and incapable of changing? The AD trade was obviously a strong addition to the franchise but overall it has been a terrible 12 months for the Lakers, nothing but bad press about how terribly run the organization currently is. 

It's a media circus because you're buying into BSPN's puff article.  Literally, find me one positive article coming from ESPN from the Lakers in the last 12 months.  Nothing.  First it was that LeBron James joined the Lakers ONLY for his off-the-court businesses.  Then when the Anthony Davis trade demand was put out there, it was all about how the Pelicans didn't like any of the young Lakers players.  Then after the deadline came and went without an Anthony Davis trade, ESPN was talking about how Dell Demps wrecked the Lakers' locker room.  And in the last few weeks, it's about how the Lakers were fleeced and that Rob Pelinka didn't understand the cap ramifications of the timing of the trade.  ESPN is getting clicks, which is what they do for a living.

[CWood21]

22 minutes ago, showtime said:

This is just a feeling I get and it's not really based on anything; however, Kawhi Leonard doesn't strike me as a 'ride the bandwagon' type of guy.  I think the Lakers are out and he's not even considering going there.  I think it's pretty much only based on the Raptors and Clippers.  In both those situations, they're not only title contenders but he is also the clear best player on the team.

He wore the crown this year.  I just can't see him going somewhere like the Warriors or Lakers and giving that crown up to someone else.

I mean, it's not even a bandwagon thing.  If he goes to the Lakers, it's because he wants to win and be in Los Angeles.  If he wants to be the man and make the most money, he'll re-sign with the Raptors.  If he wants to be the man in Los Angeles, he'll go to the Clippers.

[MookieMonstah]

CWood thinks that every player is desperate to be on the Lakers and he thinks every team is desperate to help the Lakers. Trying to convince him of anything else is a waste of time.

[seminoles1]

11 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

Let me ask you this, do you truly believe Pelinka (a former agent) and the Lakers' FO (especially since every NBA team employs a CBA specialist) don't understand the ramifications of the timing of the trade?  Or is it FAR more likely that there are more discussions that we're not privy to?  Hell, it took a couple of days for us to find the correct protections on the draft picks.  Remember, it was reported that the 2021 pick was top-8 protected when the reality is that it was actually reverse protection?  Or that the 2025 FRP was a pick swap when the reality was that the Pelicans had the option to defer the 2024 pick to 2025.  The reality is the Pelicans and Lakers agreed to the framework of the trade.  That doesn't mean that other pieces couldn't be involved or that they couldn't expand the deal.  The Lakers/Pelicans portion of the deal wouldn't change, but if the Pelicans wanted to expand the deal (i.e. using the 4th pick) that would be doable.  Same thing for the Lakers.

The Clippers have a better FO.  That's it.  They're the other LA team, they have a significantly less chance of winning, etc.  The Clippers have never been a premier FA destination.  It's amusing to me that people are looking at this Clippers' franchise as some sort of premier destination.

I think it's more likely that Pelinka is an idiot. He's given no reason to think otherwise.

No, that's not it. I literally just listed every advantage they have and all you responded with was essentially "No, Lakers."

[CWood21]

8 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

He's mentally weak because he doesn't want to play for the Lakers? Okay buddy. Dude just let FVV and a bunch of unheralded players to a freaking NBA championship. Bron Bron couldn't even sniff the playoffs and checked out as soon as he realized things weren't going his way? Which of those two seem mentally weak to you? AD had All-Stars around him in New Orleans and folded every year to the point he had to go running to even have a chance to make the WCF. There are two mentally weak players in this scenario and it's not Kawhi Leonard. 

The Lakers just gutted their roster and all of their young assets to acquire AD after they were hell-bent on not doing it just a few months ago. You guys hired Jason Kidd as an assistant coach, the moment Frank Vogul stands up to LeBron he's out and Kidd will assume the "HC" role so that LeCoach can take this thing over baby. 

The Lakers organization has been a dumpster fire over the last 12 months with all of the bad press that has leaked out about their front office. But if you wanted to go there 12 months ago and changed your mind after winning a title and seeing another place in the same city that you can win with, you're mentally weak... 

You're not reading are you?  I didn't say he was mentally weak because he didn't want to play for the Lakers.  I said he doesn't strike me as the type of guy that's going to be anti-establishment guy.  Maybe I'm wrong, but there's nothing that suggests that.

How many games did the Lakers' core ball handlers miss last year?  LeBron James missed 27 games, Brandon Ingram missed 30 games, Lonzo Ball missed 35 games, and Rajon Rondo missed 36 games.  If you don't think that drastically affected the Lakers last year, I don't know what to tell you.

[CWood21]

1 minute ago, seminoles1 said:

I think it's more likely that Pelinka is an idiot. He's given no reason to think otherwise.

No, that's not it. I literally just listed every advantage they have and all you responded with was essentially "No, Lakers."

What are you possibly basing it off of that Pelinka is an idiot?  He's given you no reason to think that's the case.

[CWood21]

3 minutes ago, MookieMonstah said:

CWood thinks that every player is desperate to be on the Lakers and he thinks every team is desperate to help the Lakers. Trying to convince him of anything else is a waste of time.

That's not even close to what I'm saying, but keep telling yourself that.

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, CWood21 said:

We were talking about how much money AD/LBJ make as opposed to Kawhi Leonard does.  It's because New Balance is a second tier business.  They're not Nike.  They're closer to Under Armour than they are Nike.  If you want to know why Kawhi Leonard isn't making more money through endorsements, it has more to do with whose representing him than his marketability.  Chris Bosh and Kevin Love became 3rd fiddle because they were vastly inferior players to Kyrie Irving and Dwyane Wade.  I mean, we're talking about Anthony Davis as arguably the most talented player LeBron James has ever played with.  Kawhi Leonard is significantly closer to Irving/Wade than he is Love/Bosh.  And it isn't even close.  As I said, I think Anthony Davis is more likely going to be the "third fiddle" given LeBron's history with Chris Bosh and Kevin Love.

2

I never once mentioned money or endorsements, just said that those two are more popular players off the court. It's debatable with AD now after that recent championship and playoff performance. Regardless though, marketability doesn't have anything to do with the fact that one guy will be the third fiddle. LeBron will dominate the ball like has his entire career, so one of them will get significantly fewer looks than they ever have in their career. Is it going to be Rich Paul aka the GM's butt buddy or are they all going to bow down to Kawhi Leonard? We're talking about 3 of the biggest egos in the league right here with Bron, AD, and RP, but you're expecting them to just all defer to Kawhi Leonard. Wishful thinking at its finest...

2 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

Make no mistake about it, Paul George chased the money.  There was NO reason for him to sign a 3+1 deal.  If he wanted to maximize his money, he would have signed a 2+1 and opted out of the last year so he can re-sign at 35% rate.  Maybe Russell Westbrook played a factor in it, but make no mistake about it that was all about the money.  There was no reason for him to sign a 3+1 deal last offseason.  It was all about the money there.  And as I've said, it's possible that Kawhi could have changed his mind, but I don't see him being mentally weak.

1

Or maybe he realized that the Lakers are one of the worst run franchises in the league and he'd have a better shot at winning in OKC? Either way he changed his mind so I'm not sure why you're so hell-bent on the fact that there's not even a slight possibility Kawhi could change his? Maybe he was dead set on getting back to LA after last season, you know where he was hurt and dealing with issues all year? Maybe he wanted to be closer to home and his camp after things ended on a sour note with the Spurs. But he just had a historic season and won his second title, he literally just made one of the biggest 180's in sports history. Going from a year where he didn't play and no one knew if he'd be the same player when he did get back to being arguably considered the consensus best player in the league. 

And after that you expect him to be in the same head space he was a year ago? And he's mentally weak if he changed his mind? Lmao. 

7 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

It's a media circus because you're buying into BSPN's puff article.  Literally, find me one positive article coming from ESPN from the Lakers in the last 12 months.  Nothing.  First it was that LeBron James joined the Lakers ONLY for his off-the-court businesses.  Then when the Anthony Davis trade demand was put out there, it was all about how the Pelicans didn't like any of the young Lakers players.  Then after the deadline came and went without an Anthony Davis trade, ESPN was talking about how Dell Demps wrecked the Lakers' locker room.  And in the last few weeks, it's about how the Lakers were fleeced and that Rob Pelinka didn't understand the cap ramifications of the timing of the trade.  ESPN is getting clicks, which is what they do for a living.

1

You're delusional if you think there hasn't been a media circus surrounding the Lakers since LeBron showed up. It wasn't just BSPN, it was every freaking major news outlet in the sports journalism community reporting about how much of a mess your front office has become. But again, it's all just a conspiracy to keep the Lakers down. Woj and the ESPN executives are all sitting around together, conspiring, planning, how they can take LeBron James down... MUAHAHAHA. 

[NYRaider]

6 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

You're not reading are you?  I didn't say he was mentally weak because he didn't want to play for the Lakers.  I said he doesn't strike me as the type of guy that's going to be anti-establishment guy.  Maybe I'm wrong, but there's nothing that suggests that.

How many games did the Lakers' core ball handlers miss last year?  LeBron James missed 27 games, Brandon Ingram missed 30 games, Lonzo Ball missed 35 games, and Rajon Rondo missed 36 games.  If you don't think that drastically affected the Lakers last year, I don't know what to tell you.

You said he was mentally weak because he was deadset on being a Laker last year but changed his mind after 12 months, a historic season, and another NBA championship. Dude himself said he was down in the dumps after the 2017-2018 season and being away from the game for a year. As I said in my previous post, I'm sure he wanted to be in LA to be close to home with his camp after such a terrible year. But this past season was a complete 180 and he's probably in the best headspace / position he has ever been in during his entire career. So obviously it's going to change his decision. 

Every team deals with injuries and as LeBron has done throughout his entire career, when things don't go his way, he went running! #MentallyWeak

[seminoles1]

5 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

What are you possibly basing it off of that Pelinka is an idiot?  He's given you no reason to think that's the case.

His entire run as GM of the Lakers has given me that indication.

[J-ALL-DAY]

53 minutes ago, SBLIII said:

Clippers could sign Horford and Butler and be a threat.

Would be a really good team but you probably need someone better than Butler as your best player to be a true legitimate threat. But they are well coached and deep so possible I guess. 

[NYRaider]

12 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

I mean, it's not even a bandwagon thing.  If he goes to the Lakers, it's because he wants to win and be in Los Angeles.  If he wants to be the man and make the most money, he'll re-sign with the Raptors.  If he wants to be the man in Los Angeles, he'll go to the Clippers.

The Clippers with Kawhi would be better than the Lakers next season. So if he plays for the Clippers he'd get the chance to be the man and win in Los Angeles... 

[11sanchez11]

26 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

The notion that LeBron is going to suddenly fall off the face of the earth is laughable, unless he suffers a catastrophic injury.

he literally has played the most playoff minutes of anyone ever. he has played the most regular season minutes of any active player. combine them and he is top ten all time in minutes played and I think Kobe is the only perimeter player who has played more minutes and Lebron will pass him before Allstar break. So it's not really unlikely that his body is somewhat worn down and I don't think it is a coincidence that he had his first major injury last year.  

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, seminoles1 said:

His entire run as GM of the Lakers has given me that indication.

You're meaning to tell me that the same GM who dumped a young all-star PG just to get rid of Tim Mosgov's terrible deal that he gave him a year earlier isn't a genius? Well I'll tell ya wut.. 

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, 11sanchez11 said:

he literally has played the most playoff minutes of anyone ever. he has played the most regular season minutes of any active player. combine them and he is top ten all time in minutes played and I think Kobe is the only perimeter player who has played more minutes and Lebron will pass him before Allstar break. So it's not really unlikely that his body is somewhat worn down and I don't think it is a coincidence that he had his first major injury last year.  

He missed more time last season then he ever has in his career and is going into his what? 16th season? And he'll be 35 this year too? But he's never slowing down I guess.