**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins

[tupac003]

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Which means we don't actually care about winning anymore. Just paying old stars.

I mean they can win....been some bad luck and some bad match ups...

If you get rid of both them we really aren't doing anything for a while...and maybe not ever because you gotta get lucky with them picks.

May be too early for all of this talk....

 

[Maximus Meridius]

If it's the 2nd challenge you don't. Win or lose.

First challenge. Not after a 2nd.

That's dumb as hell. The refs got 2 calls wrong so I lose a timeout.

 

[grittyman]

AD played Joker just about a good as humanly possible.

Bigger problem is Lebron can't be an effective PF defensively against Gordon... I would like for an athletic PF.

DLo played much more composed, I have to give him credit tonight.

 

[tupac003]

 

[pmatic]

****ed around during the regular season, fell down to the play-in and got matched up with the Nuggets. Maybe don't say those words out loud, but what a terrible process.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

Excited to give Bron and AD raises. They carry us to the play-in every season.

Real talk what would be your plan though?

 

[CP1708]

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I mean they can win....been some bad luck and some bad match ups...

If you get rid of both them we really aren't doing anything for a while...and maybe not ever because you gotta get lucky with them picks.

May be too early for all of this talk....

My guy got bumped into and played with 1 arm the rest of the game.

Scored 1 more points, in a 2 point loss.

But hey, he'll be there for us in the play-in game again next year. I know he will. We can count on him.

 

[tupac003]

My guy got bumped into and played with 1 arm the rest of the game.

Scored 1 more points, in a 2 point loss.

But hey, he'll be there for us in the play-in game again next year. I know he will. We can count on him.

Yeah...you got it

 

[akajae]

Real talk what would be your plan though?

Easy. Draft the next Lebron and AD and contend in 3 years lmao

 

[pmatic]

 

[tupac003]

Easy. Draft the next Lebron and AD and contend in 3 years lmao

Don't get him started....

 

[CP1708]

Real talk what would be your plan though?

Trade AD.
Give Bron next year ONLY. If he wants more, let him walk or offer to trade him to his choice of team. Don't disrespect him, have open dialogue but not be held hostage by a 40 year old.

If he asks for (and gets) a 3 year extension from Jeanie.......

 

[rrickrude]

Welp! season starts 2025!! Feel bad for Rui, had a good season but got cooked the last couple of weeks from his match ups with the pelicans and nuggets. If by some miracle we got to the wolves he would have gotten flamed there too.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

Trade AD.
Give Bron next year ONLY. If he wants more, let him walk or offer to trade him to his choice of team. Don't disrespect him, have open dialogue but not be held hostage by a 40 year old.

If he asks for (and gets) a 3 year extension from Jeanie.......

Who would you want back for AD cuz it has to be a big that's at least a great defender and they can get 20 a night.

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

 

[tupac003]

This is why fans aren't GM's.

 

[MVP]

Build around AD going forward

 

[CP1708]

Who would you want back for AD cuz it has to be a big that's at least a great defender and they can get 20 a night.

Why?

I take the best package I can get. If that's a big, fine. If it's a guard, fine.

Get whatever/whoever + picks.

We're 6 years into Bron's tenure. 1 Finals trip.

They won't get younger. They won't get healthier. My God, he got BUMPED INTO by skinny MPJ. He played with one arm the rest of the game.

Now they both get raises...... that is the opposite of building a winner. You get Luka + Wemby, yea, you give them raises. Guys in their absolute primes. (Shiiii, Wemby ain't even there yet )

 

[CP1708]

This is why fans aren't GM's.

I wish I could type this is why agents aren't GM's, but, well......

 

[Maximus Meridius]

Why?

I take the best package I can get. If that's a big, fine. If it's a guard, fine.

Get whatever/whoever + picks.

We're 6 years into Bron's tenure. 1 Finals trip.

They won't get younger. They won't get healthier. My God, he got BUMPED INTO by skinny MPJ. He played with one arm the rest of the game.

Now they both get raises...... that is the opposite of building a winner. You get Luka + Wemby, yea, you give them raises. Guys in their absolute primes. (Shiiii, Wemby ain't even there yet )

Bruh you can't just take whatever is the best deal. So say we get similar to what we got for Shaq. A almost all star level talent and some scraps. We rolling with that?

 

[frink85]

What each eliminated NBA team needs to do this offseason

We break down what the summer priorities and needs are for the NBA teams who have already been sent home.

www.espn.com

Spoiler: article

Los Angeles Lakers​

2023-24 record: 47-35

Draft picks in June: No. 17* (own) and No. 55 (via LAC)

Note: The Lakers owe a first-round pick to the Pelicans. New Orleans can take this year's pick or defer it to 2025. The deadline to defer is June 1.

Free agents: LeBron James (P), D'Angelo Russell (P), Max Christie (R), Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaxson Hayes (P), Cam Reddish (P), Taurean Prince, Christian Wood (P), Colin Castleton (R), Skylar Mays (R) and Harry Giles III

State of the roster: Inconsistent.

Let's start with the positives. The Lakers had the NBA's fifth-most wins after Feb. 1 and an offensive rating that ranked third. LeBron James and Anthony Davis played at an All-NBA level and both played more than 70 games. They had 24 wins in games decided in the clutch, tied for third most in the league. The Lakers used 20 fewer lineups than last season and the starting group of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, James, Rui Hachimura and Davis had a net rating of plus-6.3 points per 100 possessions.

The positives, however, are overshadowed by a second consecutive playoff loss at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

Where the Lakers go from here resides with the options and eventual decisions by Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.


Pelinka could choose the path of continuity and run back the same roster that finished 21-10 after the All-Star break. The Lakers have twelve players under contract, including James, Russell, Wood, Hayes and Reddish, all of whom hold player options for 2024-25. They will also have a first-round pick if the Pelicans elect to defer until 2025. Continuity does come at a cost considering the Lakers would exceed the luxury tax and first apron if the same roster returns. It would also mark a second straight offseason of keeping the core parts together. Before turning their season around in late February, this Lakers roster had gone 27-32 this season.

Darvin Ham could be used as a scapegoat, and Pelinka could search for his third coach in five years. The Lakers reached the playoffs despite being tied for fourth in most games missed because of injury. Last offseason's additions of Reddish, Gabe Vincent and rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino all missed significant time this season. Jarred Vanderbilt played just 29 games.

The more realistic option is Pelinka taking an aggressive approach in the trade market.

The Lakers will go from having one tradable first-round pick (2029) to three (2024 or 2025, 2029 and 2031) starting the night of the draft, giving them more options if an All-Star becomes available. They can also trade swap rights in 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031. Russell cannot be traded in the offseason unless he picks up his player option or works a sign-and-trade in July. If he opted out and did not return, the Lakers would have only four larger tradable contracts (outside of James and Davis): Reaves, Vincent, Hachimura and Vanderbilt.

One difficulty with the plan to find another superstar is the new collective bargaining agreement, which restricts how much high-spending teams can add to their rosters.

Offseason finances: The Lakers are currently operating as a team below both aprons but must have an eye toward their 2024-25 finances if they make any trade. Currently they are allowed to take back more money in a trade, aggregate contracts to trade for a single player making a high salary, and send cash in a trade. However, using any of the three starting on July 1 would trigger the second apron. The first apron also gets triggered if the Lakers take back more money than they send out in any trade. Including their first-round pick, Los Angeles is over the $178.7 million first apron next season and is $4.8 million below the $189.6 million second apron. The Lakers are projected to be a repeater tax team for the fourth consecutive season. If the Lakers retain their first-round pick and re-sign restricted free agent Max Christie, they will likely be a second apron team. If the Lakers finish in the second apron after the 2024-25 season concludes, their 2032 first is frozen and unavailable in a future trade. They could gain some flexibility if Wood, Hayes and Reddish decline their player options and either sign back with the Lakers at a lesser salary or with another team. For example, Wood signing for the one-year veteran minimum saves the Lakers $1 million. Those three players, along with Russell ($18.7 million) and James ($51.4 million), have until June 29 to opt in to their contracts. The Lakers will have the second-round exception available to sign their pick to a three-year or four-year contract. The Lakers will have the $12.9 million non-tax midlevel exception if Russell declines his option and signs with a new team. They do not have the $4.7 million biannual exception because it was used last offseason to sign Taurean Prince.

Top front office priority: The next contract for James and Russell's option highlight the to-do list for the Lakers' front office. James has made it clear on multiple occasions that his playing career is coming to an end.

"Not very long," James said in March on how long he sees himself playing. "Not very long. I'm on the other side, obviously, of the hill. So I'm not going to play another 21 years, that's for damn sure. But not very long."

If James opts out, he is eligible to sign a three-year, $162 million contract that would run through the 2026-27 season. The contract would be the largest in his career, and James would be allowed to negotiate a no-trade clause. A three-year max salary for a 39-year-old would normally be deemed as a toxic contract, but James just played his most games since 2017-18 and continues to defy Father Time, shooting a career-high 41.6% on 3-pointers. He will likely earn All-NBA honors for a 20th consecutive season. James could also go the short-term route and sign a two-year, $104 million contract. The second year would be a player option, allowing James to once again become a free agent next offseason.

Russell could test free agency by declining his $18.7 million option and sign with a team that has room. There is also the option of signing for less with a team that has the $12.9 million non-tax midlevel exception. With Russell not on the roster, the Lakers would have financial flexibility below the luxury tax and first apron, but they'd also have a void at starting point guard. They could use backup Gabe Vincent, last year's first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino or the $12.9 million non-tax midlevel exception as a replacement -- or draft one in the first round this year if the Pelicans defer the pick. The Lakers were 15-3 in games when Russell scored at least 25 points and 9-2 when he attempted 11 3-pointers or more. However, he has struggled against Denver the past two postseasons, going scoreless in the Game 3 loss this year.

Extension candidate to watch: If he picks up his player option, James will become extension eligible on Aug. 18. The maximum extension the Lakers can offer James is two years, $112.9 million. Salary in 2025-26 would be $54.3 million. Team needs: Frontcourt depth, perimeter shooting, another ball handler who can create for others and lineup consistency with the bench. Los Angeles gave up the fourth-most second-chance points, but should get a boost with a healthy Vanderbilt. Perimeter scoring from the bench continues to be a problem. The Lakers ranked 24th in 3-point shooting and 26th in scoring from their reserves.

Draft assets: The Lakers owe New Orleans an unprotected first in 2025 (if the Pelicans elect to defer) and 2027 top-4 protected first to Utah. Including the Clippers' pick in June, the Lakers have five second-round picks available to trade.

lord help us if D'lo signs somewhere else

 

[pmatic]

 

[CP1708]

Our upcoming off-season:

Fire Ham. Hire whoever.
Extend Bron to 3 year Max.
Trade 4 guys + multiple picks for Trae Young

Sign bunch of rando's to fill 4 thru 14

Get the 7 seed.

Win playin game.

Lose in first round.

Well.....it's ok guys, we still have Bron/AD, we'll get'em next year.

 

[Dhizzle]

Bron and AD pretty much played as well as they could have; mind you Bron looking like his old 2012 self at times. FO surrounded them with highly paid bum players. And after the game is over, get rid of both?!

 

[MajinZuub]

Bron's gone if AD's gone. I don't see anyone that's potentially going to be available that matches value with AD. He has his frustrating moments but flipping him for a Trae Young or some **** is making the team worse.