[CoachWyersParticipant]

 If I am the Lakers I would try to get Paul George now, but not giving up too much.  Do you think the Pacers would eventually take any of these?  If not I hold pat if I am the Lakers and wait the year and hope he still wants to come.

Straight up for Brook Lopez

for Jordan Clarkson, Corey Brewer, Josh Hart

for Luol Deng, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Thomas Bryant.

 

 

 

[IlladelphParticipant]

 I agree with you that the Lakers should not give up too much for PG.  The Lakers are building a solid core of players who could actually turn out to be special in 2-3 years.  With Ball, and Ingram, and Randle, Nance, etc. this is really a young, talented, solid group.  They need to have another good draft or two, and maybe pick up some cheap specialists from the G-League or overseas, and you have a playoff contender in the West.  I am pretty much against the PG thing because it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless we are looking at the Lakers trying to build a Big 3 superteam of Lebron, PG, Melo, or others.  Lakers fans need to be patient and support these young guys and in 2-3 years those young guys are not going to be young guys anymore, they are going to be stars.

To get PG, or Lebron, or any big ticket free agent, the Lakers will need to sacrifice their building strategy with the young guns and probably break them up or at least slow their development.  That would be a mistake.  For the first time in post-Kobe era I am seeing what could become a true Lakeshow Lakers team and as a basketball fan I am excited for that.  I don’t want to see Lebron in L.A., or PG, or some other superstar rental that who just wants to be the center of attention in L.A. for a few years before retirement.  I want these hungry young guns to build up their own thing and become the next Lakers dynasty.  

 

[Willfb3Participant]

Absolutley not. All those trades are garbage. An aging/fragile Lopez who plays the same position as their most valuable asset (Turner)? Clarkson who can’t shoot and only started 19 games for the bottom feeding Lakers, Brewer (aka nothing), and and the 30th pick of the draft? Really?! An awful contract the Lakers would be absolutley thrilled to get rid of in Deng, and the 27, 30, and 42 picks of the draft? Are you kidding? This is Paul George, one of the best two way players in the league!!! I understand he’s going to walk at the end of the year so his value is lower than it has been, but cmon, lets be serious..

[ChoppyParticipant]

 If I was Indiana, I’d rather get nothing for George than the crap from those trades. Look at the following formula the Lakers have figured out: 

Nothing > Deng 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 Turner is a PF/C. He and Brook López can coexist just fine. Brook López was an All-Star not so long ago and would’ve been an all-star since if he wasn’t on the worst team in the league, faithfully. He gets 20 points a game and has been for a while: on playoff teams and bad teams. Now he shoots threes and makes them. He is a near all-star today. He is not with PG13… of course. But he’s no slouch. 

Clarkson is not a bad shooter. He’s average. 33% career on a team that doesn’t spread the floor at all. He’s better than that. 

Brook López, Clarkson or Randle, and a draft pick is better than what the Cavs/Nuggets offer involved. It’s not fair that PG13 did this to them, but this is where things are. They have to hope the Celtics save them. 

[808wizfanParticipant]

Giving up so little for George makes sense only if you assume the Lakers are the only team trying to get him. Several teams are willing to give up better packages even with the chance that he’ll leave a year later in free-agency. If Lakers want to minimize assets they give up in a trade, they should just wait for free agency in 2018. The risk then becomes George deciding to stay with the team trading for him for the opportunity to compete for a title (Cavs, Celtics?)

[MatosParticipant]

 The most valuable asset in all of those trade senarios you listed is Kyle Kuzma. Listen – with the Celtics and Cavs, you have legitimate threats at changing PG’s mind come next offseason. That means the Lakers are going to have to pay up right now if they want to secure him. Or take the chance that he walks next year. Getting tired of seeing these lopsided trades for PG in LA’s favor. With the contending teams in play, it would be Laughable for Indiana to accept a Brook Lopez straight up trade. Tf does that do for them?

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 I wouldn’t trade anything for a guy that they might resign next year, and if they trade for him this year they have to pay him MORE next summer.

I would go out and sign Gordon Hayward TOMORROW.  

Although he is basically a small forward like PG13 he can play more 2 guard… he would be deadly on the wing with Brandon Ingram.  That is a big perimeter with Lonzo at point guard.

I think your future core would be set with that lineup.  Even if Brook Lopez isn’t a long term solution at center, maybe Zubac is (or Tarik Black).  

That is a team in win-now mode, depending on how well the guys mesh, and how good Lonzo is right away.  

They also have a great long-term outlook, maybe more well rounded than the Sixers.

They might have to move a 2nd rounder and some cash to get rid of Luol Deng… maybe going back to Minny under Coach Tibs, or back to Chicago.  

To round out the squad, they should sign a cheap, young Javale Mcgee type to be a 3rd string center.  that to go along with a veteran cheap shooter like James Jones or Mike Miller (or Kyle Korver if they can get him cheap).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nill650Participant]

 I don’t think it would be smart for LA to give up too much to trade for him,when he wants to come there in 18 anyway. Sure he could go to an East contender in a trade and you won’t be as likely to get him in 2018, but giving up what it would take to get him now , actually sets you backa few steps. 

Teams are not all about 1 player no matter how good they are unless they are reigning mvp winners which PG is not.

[CoachWyersParticipant]

 Don’t know why I got negatives I never said if I was the Pacers I would do any of those trades.  My question was do you think the Pacers would get desperate enough to take a low ball offer from the Lakers rather than lose him for nothing, if no other team steps up in a deal for George.

[nill650Participant]

 I don’t think they will , because they have had good offers and turned them down.

I would bet they will make him play it out until the deadline if they shoot themselves in the foot passing up reasonable offers…in the next few days …then they will have to take less instead of nothing.

I expect he will be moved in the next 48 hrs.Or not until Feb.

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 If the Lakers are going to make a realistic  trade for George, randle would definitely need to be included. I sincerely doubt Indiana would accept any deal that didn’t include randle, Ingram or ball and magic has basically made it clear that Ingram and ball are off limits.

If randle is a starting point, other assets would undoubtedly need to be involved as well, probably two of zubac, Clarkson, kuzma, hart or Nance. Indiana might be willing to take an offer like that. I don’t think they’d be willing to take on dengs contract. Maybe they could try to get a third team involved for that but it will not be easy. 

Overall, if they trade for George now, it will leave them with a roster that is pretty barren next season. But the positive is that they will have him on the team and be able to offer him more money than anyone else to stay. They won’t have to worry about him going somewhere else and potentially liking it there and having a change of heart about coming to the Lakers. They still keep at least some of their younger assets and have the cap space to sign another max level player next offseason.

The worst case scenario is that they don’t trade for George now, he winds up on a team like the Cavs, wins a title there and ends up signing long-term. Even in that case, the Lakers still aren’t in a awful spot. They give their young core players another season to grow and develop and will still have the cap space to sign 2 max level free agents next summer. If nothing else, pelinka has demonstrated so far that he knows how the salary cap works and is putting the team in position to get things done. Now it will be up to magic to convince the talent to come.

 

 

 

 

 

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