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You just know what's happening next..here comes Lebron with the recruiting pitch.

If it works, it basically guarantees no more Russell on the team.

Whoa

I would fully expect he's a Laker on July 1. Probably at the expense of Dennis Schroder and Russell.

Knowing the Lakers front office and how little they care about the margins, I would fully expect off-season to start like this:

- Renounce Beasley, Bamba
- Sign Rui to a 4 year deal starting at $15M
- Match Austin's offer sheet or he signs with us at $12.2M
- Keep Vando, Christie, 17

Which means our cap sheet will be as follows:

LeBron: $46.9
Anthony: $40.6
Rui: $15M
Reaves: $12.2M
Vando: $4.7M
Christie: $1.7M
Draft Pick: $3.5M

Total: $124.6M

We'll probably operate as an over the cap team, which'll give us the ability to re-sign Lonnie Walker at around $7.5M. Then we'll have the MLE ($12.2M) and bi-annual exception to use ($4.5). I'd guarantee Paul gets one of those, probably the MLE knowing our organization.

Walker: $7.5M
MLE: $12.2M
BLE: $4.5M

Total: $148.8M which leaves us $14M below the luxury tax. The hard cap number will probably be around $170M which means we'd have an extra $20M to play with. Lakers can do one of the following:

- Renounce Beasley and re-negotiate a team friendly deal
- Renounce Bamba and re-negotiate a team friendly deal
- Re-sign Russell to a team friendly deal ($10-14M a year)

I expect they'll do none of that and be a team that doesn't pay the tax.

Is a roster with Paul, Reaves, Rui, LeBron, AD with Vando, Walker, Christie + another mid-tier free agent good enough? I'd say no and you can do so much better but it would require us to find a taker for Beasley and/or Bamba. At the absolute worst, they should bring back both of those guys at team friendly deals and then you have them as trade pieces during the year.

There are very few players I'd say this about.... I'd rather keep Russell...

Maybe I would take a look at CP mentoring Austin and having the same role as Rondo. I have to admit that CP has talent but my concern is that it seems that he has bad luck along with him. Always gets injured during the playoffs. But if we are getting CP I'd still prefer another starting caliber PG to be on the team. Just in case CP gets injured as it happens most of time.

Given his likely role, Paul is a great add as a depth piece. Easy yes. Nor does it stop you keeping your current guards, tho I'd probably let one of DLO or Shroeder go.

Everyone mentored by CP3 turn into borderline to full dirty players... **** CP3...

Kilroy wrote:There are very few players I'd say this about.... I'd rather keep Russell...

Westbrook was a franchise low point. Paul would fly past that. Never have I liked a player less him. A true POS hiding behind and NBA PR created image. There are YouTube reels of him going under players in the air, faking injury and so on.

That said, it's a certainty he's coming here.

dAdo dA dEvil wrote:Maybe I would take a look at CP mentoring Austin and having the same role as Rondo. I have to admit that CP has talent but my concern is that it seems that he has bad luck along with him. Always gets injured during the playoffs. But if we are getting CP I'd still prefer another starting caliber PG to be on the team. Just in case CP gets injured as it happens most of time.

Compared to any available free agents who are willing to take a vet minimum contract, I think he’s a bargain. They will really have to manage his load though like 20 minutes esp the playoffs. He also looked good when he played in the same team with Schroder so I’m hoping they rehire Dennis.
Great court vision and a great shooter/floor spacer and decent defender.

The Artest trade made me realize that I don’t have to like the player before they’re a Laker. His impact is undeniable. So is his semi dirty play.

CP3 aka the hamstring. I usually subscribe to the notion that CP3 is a whiny female canine.

As our second string PG for short money, we’d have to consider it.

The Clippers will throw money at him.

Kilroy wrote:There are very few players I'd say this about.... I'd rather keep Russell...

I’d rather pay Russell $14M a year than Chris Paul $10M a year.

If Paul is willing to come for the bi-annual exception of $4.5M or a vet minimum - I’d take him all day long.

If Paul did take that BLE, that opens up a lot of flexibility. Sign Bruce Brown for the $12.2 MLE or split it up on 2 players?

PG: Paul/Brown
SG: Reaves/Walker/Christie
SF: Rui/Brown Jr/
PF: LeBron/Vando/
C: Davis/Bamba/Thompson

Plus two draft picks, 17 and 47.

Or:

PG: Paul/Schroder (half of MLE)
SG: Reaves/Walker/Christie
SF: Rui/Vando/Brown Jr
PF: LeBron/Lyles (half of MLE)
C: Davis/Bamba/Thompson

Plus two draft picks, 17 and 47.

I hope we pass on him. LBJ will want him but he is not what we need. I’d prefer we give all his minutes to AR15 and Christie.
He’s old, out of shape, injury prone, unreliable, and doesn’t play defense.

Kilroy wrote:Everyone mentored by CP3 turn into borderline to full dirty players... **** CP3...

This + the fact that CP3 is washed up. We don’t need more injury prone old men on their way out of the league.

Ever since the league nixed the CP3-trade more than a decade ago i think CP3 coming to LA was destined to happen at some point. Now that he’s been waived i think it would a good idea to get him and then go all-in for next season.

Re-sign Reaves and Rui
Sign CP3 at full MLE. Sign Josh Richardson for BAE and TT for vet min.

PG CP3 – (Reaves)
SG Reaves – Richardson - Christie
SF Vando – Rui - #17
PF Lebron – #46
C Davis – Bamba – TT

There's just no way CP3 is worth more than Vet. min. now. He's about to become Westbrick 2.0. Lakers need to save the MLE, BLE for younger guys who can actually help the team during playoffs.

topdaytrader wrote:There's just no way CP3 is worth more than Vet. min. now. He's about to become Westbrick 2.0. Lakers need to save the MLE, BLE for younger guys who can actually help the team during playoffs.

vet min.... absolutely worth it

outside that hell naw

topdaytrader wrote:There's just no way CP3 is worth more than Vet. min. now. He's about to become Westbrick 2.0. Lakers need to save the MLE, BLE for younger guys who can actually help the team during playoffs.

vet min.... absolutely worth it

outside that hell naw

TylersLakers wrote:I would fully expect he's a Laker on July 1. Probably at the expense of Dennis Schroder and Russell.

Knowing the Lakers front office and how little they care about the margins, I would fully expect off-season to start like this:

- Renounce Beasley, Bamba
- Sign Rui to a 4 year deal starting at $15M
- Match Austin's offer sheet or he signs with us at $12.2M
- Keep Vando, Christie, 17

Which means our cap sheet will be as follows:

LeBron: $46.9
Anthony: $40.6
Rui: $15M
Reaves: $12.2M
Vando: $4.7M
Christie: $1.7M
Draft Pick: $3.5M

Total: $124.6M

We'll probably operate as an over the cap team, which'll give us the ability to re-sign Lonnie Walker at around $7.5M. Then we'll have the MLE ($12.2M) and bi-annual exception to use ($4.5). I'd guarantee Paul gets one of those, probably the MLE knowing our organization.

Walker: $7.5M
MLE: $12.2M
BLE: $4.5M

Total: $148.8M which leaves us $14M below the luxury tax. The hard cap number will probably be around $170M which means we'd have an extra $20M to play with. Lakers can do one of the following:

- Renounce Beasley and re-negotiate a team friendly deal
- Renounce Bamba and re-negotiate a team friendly deal
- Re-sign Russell to a team friendly deal ($10-14M a year)

I expect they'll do none of that and be a team that doesn't pay the tax.

Is a roster with Paul, Reaves, Rui, LeBron, AD with Vando, Walker, Christie + another mid-tier free agent good enough? I'd say no and you can do so much better but it would require us to find a taker for Beasley and/or Bamba. At the absolute worst, they should bring back both of those guys at team friendly deals and then you have them as trade pieces during the year.

I like your plan a lot, Tyler. Minus the contingency D Lo and Beasley part, of course.

Renouncing and re-signing Bamba is a good idea. Landale is anothet big I want. And I’d draft Lively with #17.

If Landale or Zeller or alike can be had for the MLE , and CP3 is convinced to join for the BAE, we’d almost be done. We’d have enough guards at that point to S&T D Lo and Beasley with no regrets, maybe to Detroit.

With 47, I’d take Keyonte Johnson 6’5”, a two way stud who might still be around at 47.

Book it! David Stern will Jesus his way back to life in a spectacular resurrection event and veto any Chris Paul to the Lakers nonsense and still claim for basketball reasons.

There I said it.

Many of the arguments against Chris Paul are based on people’s emotions. Personally, I would choose to take my chances with an old, broken-down CP3 over Russell any day of the week. I believe no team with Russell as a key rotation player can win a championship… dude is a career loser. I’ve also never quite understood the argument that suggests we should sign him to be our regular season performer, given that his production during this time is decent. What good are regular season contributions if he disappears when it really matters? Are we now playing for regular season trophies? People quickly forget that during much of the playoffs, Russell was borderline unplayable. Would things have been different if we had a stellar regular season record? This is obviously rhetorical given we just got swept.

For the record, I am against bringing back Russell at almost any cost.