Roster Improvement: Free Agents Now and Later?

The Rock wrote:We need to build a team that beats OKC. That means we need wing defenders, 3 point shooters and a stretch PF. I can see Hill having an increased role on the team next year where he and the stretch PF can platoon it based on need (Ryan Anderson perhaps?)

I dont see DEN being serious, nor the Clippers and maybe the Spurs but thats it. We're still a top 4 team but the gap between us and OKC is wide

Maybe pau for Anderson, reddick, and Nelson is worth a peak

Resign sessions and hill

Bynum/ hill
Anderson/ hill
Artest/ ebanks
Kobe/ reddick
Sessions/ Nelson

Everyone but Kobe should be available.

I would keep Kobe and Bynum. Would look for Hill and Sessions if the price is right. Depends on the roster you might want to keep Metta. Ebanks is worth what you pay for him. G-Lock and Morris as bench warmers.

That's 7 players.

Since the Pau trade won't give a superstar but seveal players most likely you have to have space in the roster.

Starters - SG, SF, C locked
Bench - PG, SG, SF, PF locked.

You might want to try to trade Pau for a PG/PF and look for big bodies for cheap. If Lakers can trade for Harris/Jefferson (or Millsap) or Lowry (or Dragic)/Scola they should do it. They are not the better options for the future, but as for now, they look as the better options to win now. Which should be their goal until Kobe retires or his actual contract is finish.

Blake, Barnes, McRob, Murphy must go whatever happens. Blake can give you a decent big man.

If they can bring a good PG or a good PF in the FO the Pau trade might be easier to deal with since you only have to fill one spot with a really good player.

I am not optimistic about the future until Lakers have cap space to bring a young superstar as they usually do.

I don't think they take any contracts past 2014 in the hopes of pairing Lebron and a more seasoned bynum

Keep Artest, Bynum, Hill, Ebanks & Kobe.

Kobe, Bynum, Hill, and Ramon if his contract is reasonable. I see him as a backup PG. Not a Scottie Pippen.

MWP has shown up in the postseason the last 2 years, but his regular seasons have been awful. We need a younger replacement that can do regular and postseason if we can find one. An Aaron Afflalo type is what I have in mind.

I like Pau despite his faults, but he's simply not worth $19 million right now. To economically justify paying a 3rd option that kind of money, we'd have to reach the Finals. Even if we managed to perform a miracle upset against the Thunder, we'd be out of gas by the time we faced the Spurs.

I'd be open to trading anybody.

If there is any way to get a Landry or Millsap type of PF , go get him ... they are lacking size but they play with toughness and have a nice offensive repertoire

I'd love to keep my Budlight screw everyone else.

kobe

LosAngelesKing wrote:The answer is Bynum.

Any rational thinking Laker fan will come to the realization that Kobe's Contract must be amnestied

not






happening.

what I would love to see is Kobe's terrible contract gone ... that's killing us ... we have no room for a good sign because of that ...

Murdock wrote:what I would love to see is Kobe's terrible contract gone ... that's killing us ... we have no room for a good sign because of that ...

its fans like this that give laker fans a bad rep.

that wouldn't put us under the cap anyway... and even if it did, who would you sign? The buss family has tickets to sell here and cutting the player that puts the [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] in the seats and sells gear isn't very productive in that regard.

Doc Brown wrote:I'd love for our bench next season to be....

Sessions / Ebanks / Beasley / McFly / Hill

- The McFly I want has to be the one who played for the Pacers who looked to score and could shoot the rock.
- Beasley sign and trade for Pau
- Re-sign Sessions, Ebanks and Hill

I'd love for our starters next season to be....

D.West / Kobe / MWP / Millsap / Bynum

- Delonte West with our mini-MLE
- Millsap acquired by dealing Derrick Williams (via Pau trade) to Utah

With Morris / Glock picking up the rear.

Pau is going to make $19 million next year.

First post, but heres who I think id like to see stick around

Kobe
Bynum
Metta
Hill
Sessions
Blake

I dont know about anything past that. I want the Lakers to contend for a title or two more while Kobes still capable of playing at a high level. It hurts to see Gasol go because I do love the player but we need players that are going to excel in the playoffs.

I know Blake is a surprising pick to keep around but I dont see how we could get anything much out of him and hes ok PG depth. If we trade Gasol for a PG id drop Blake off my list and leave Sessions coming in off the bench.

Kwame wrote:

Murdock wrote:what I would love to see is Kobe's terrible contract gone ... that's killing us ... we have no room for a good sign because of that ...

its fans like this that give laker fans a bad rep.

that wouldn't put us under the cap anyway... and even if it did, who would you sign? The buss family has tickets to sell here and cutting the player that puts the [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] in the seats and sells gear isn't very productive in that regard.

I was against it the moment it happened ... and Kobe isn't playing that well to deserve that kind of money ... yeah he brings the crowd but the only players that deserve that kind of money are LBJ and KD nobody else, nobody ...

well let me see another 10 mil a year spent on a players does wonders IMO don't you think?

I don’t think of Curry as a franchise player, but rather as an exceptional complementary player. Perhaps Golden St would be open to trading him, after his last series of injuries. Can breakdown Oklahoma City’s defense. Can trap the ball. Can share the ball. Made Ellis look like a respectable defender in their traps. I’d also look at Chicago. Deng and Noah can defend James and Bosh, and both are 27 years old. Maybe a three-team trade? Gasol going to Chicago. Sessions going to Golden St. Acquiring Curry, Deng, and Noah.

G Steph Curry | G/F Kobe Bryant
F Loul Deng | F/C Joakim Noah | C Andrew Bynum

Odom Trade X. Sessions/Hill S&T. Artest/Blake. Each used as “trade fillers” to realize that pipe-dream.

I think even if Kobe is paid $1, there is still no room so what's the point...

Its time to put some fresh young players to this team......time with two bigs is gone and we need to think about different players with different style of play.....Lakers need to do 3 things in my opinion
1. Trade Gasol
2. Fire Brown
3. Get some players for the bench
Gasol was great in the past....we make 2 champ with him but that time is over, he is weak, not interested and he need to be traded.....i dont know for what but i would like for some young athletic player ....we need young quick player to play with bynum because bynum is slow and that guy need to be fast athletic that can run in defense transition......also we need one good player for the bench, Barnes is gone......he is not worth of and dollars.....we dont need defender there because we have one,Metta, so we need some guy who can shoot and run the floor....
Coach-well I dont like Brown, his rotations, he is bad defensive coach lets be realistic there.....so I dont know bur Shaw or SVG ......but we need to change coach.....i dont think that will happen, they will stick with this man, but as a laker fan i dont like that.....so we will see what will happen but i belive in Mitch....

Kwame wrote:

Doc Brown wrote:I'd love for our bench next season to be....

Sessions / Ebanks / Beasley / McFly / Hill

- The McFly I want has to be the one who played for the Pacers who looked to score and could shoot the rock.
- Beasley sign and trade for Pau
- Re-sign Sessions, Ebanks and Hill

I'd love for our starters next season to be....

D.West / Kobe / MWP / Millsap / Bynum

- Delonte West with our mini-MLE
- Millsap acquired by dealing Derrick Williams (via Pau trade) to Utah

With Morris / Glock picking up the rear.

Pau is going to make $19 million next year.

Beasley 8 million, Williams 5 million, throw in a Milicic at 5 million. Trade works. The way the league wants bigs, we can easily pawn Milicic off for nothing in return and get a TPE.

Kobe, Bynum, Hill, Glock (hopefully he gets some burn). After that I don't care. Give me some young and hungry players. I would love to gett Iggy here somehow ... but it's a longshot i guess.

Kobe, Sessions, Bynum, Hill, Glock

I see us signing Beasley and LO is the offseason.

Then, whatever we get in the Gasol trade. Hopefully we make a deal with Philly for Iggy

Sessions
Kobe
Iggy
LO
Bynum

Who fans would like to keep and who they'd like to get and what's actually possible are two entirely different things.

The Lakers have $88.7M on the books next year for:

Kobe
Gasol
Bynum
MWP
Sessions
Blake
McRoberts
Hill
Eyenga
Goudelock and
Morris

including $4.5M for Sessions who can opt out, $3.6M for Hill who's an unrestricted free agent and team options on Bynum ($16.4M), Goudelock ($0.76M) and Morris ($0.93M). Bynum's option will be picked up, as will probably Goudelock and Morris. Sessions has said he'll opt out to test free agency, Hill will get bigger offers than the Lakers can make.

So the Lakers will likely have:

Kobe
Gasol
Bynum
MWP
Blake
McRoberts
Eyenga
Goudelock
Morris

for $80.5M, or about $10M over the luxury tax cap. Because they're more than $4M over the LT cap, the Lakers are also put at a disadvantage in the free agency market because they simply aren't permitted to offer as much to a player as can teams under the LT cap.

The new CBA really demands that you build a team through the draft, rather than free agency, and severely penalizes teams over the luxury tax cap, not only with the tax, but also by reducing what they can offer to free agents, as compared to teams under the LT cap and how many cap exceptions they get.

In any Pau trade you can look for players, salary reduction through expiring contracts and/or draft picks. If the Lakers use Pau to get a player, they probably try to get a starting PG (Sessions is likely gone). If you do that, you're left with:

Kobe
Bynum
MWP
new PG
McRoberts(?)

as your starting lineup, with Blake, Eyenga, Goudelock, Morris, and filler as your reserves.

If they trade Pau for expiring contracts and draft picks, you're left with:

Kobe
Bynum
MWP
Blake
McRoberts(?)

as your starting lineup, with Eyenga, Goudelock, Morris and filler as your reserves. Depending on who the expiring contract is, he may be a starter replacing Blake or McRoberts.

The Lakers have traded away their 2012 first round draft choice, and their first round draft choice in 2013 is either a top 14 choice (i.e., they don't make the playoffs) or the worst position out of the first round picks of Cleveland, Miami and Sacramento as a result of the Sessions trade. So rebuilding through the draft isn't too likely, unless, again, they can get a draft choice or two back as part of a Pau deal.

Trading Kobe (if he waived his no trade clause) forces you to bring back salary, and anyone taking Kobe's contract at his age isn't going to be sending DWill or DHoward back; you'll likely get a decent player and an expiring contract.

So far as I can see, given all of the above, I can see two courses of action:

(i) the Lakers patch the team around Bynum and Kobe for next year, trying to effect significant moves (if any) through a Pau trade, and then either talk Kobe into retiring after the 2012-13 season or amnestying him at that time, or

(ii) the Lakers blow it up now, amnesty Kobe, trade Pau for expirings and picks, write off 2012-13 and plan for 2013 and thereafter.

Given the need to keep fans in the seats, I'm guessing it'll be option (i).

In short, don't look for a championship run next year.

We should keep Kobe, Bynum, and MWP. Everyone else can take a hike.

Swing a deal Pau for Iggy (+Draft Picks).
Sign Hill
Sign Billups
Trade Artest/McRoberts/Blake for some younger guys (especially in the frontcourt

Sign Sessions if it's a reasonable price or get another young PG for the bench (if we somehow could get Lou Williams in that Pau/Iggy deal ) and let him go with the 2nd Unit


Something like:
Bynum/Hill/Iggy/Kobe/Billups

Bench: Sessions/Glock/Some Shooter SF/Some athletic hustling PF/C


Get a new coach (Brian Shaw ...)