Rob Pelinka Discussion: BBall Ops Pres + GM (AKA: Lucky Rob)

Do you have any specific players in mind? Like who? I don't think Luka is down, with some 3-4 year plan either. Luka wants to compete right now, and we'd be wise to keep that, at the forefront of our decision making process.

 

i really think we only need two starting caliber players, tbh. one guard and one more wing. both guys need to be able to defend, first and foremost. but both must also be able to shoot/function on offense.

ayton/hayes (this is fine--we could upgrade and that would be great, but this isn't our limiting factor right now)
lebron (also fine. when he leaves, we'll need someone here)
luka (outstanding)
reaves (excellent)
smart (oh good lord what are we doing? i like smart, but he's a bench player)

smart and laravia are both playoff-caliber bench players, imo. as is rui.

so if we could keep all those guys and magically add say, herb jones and keon ellis, i think we have a shot against anyone. but getting jones and ellis at the deadline is not possible (never was, now definitely isn't).


bigger picture and going into post-lebron, we need our aaron gordon and kcp. those were the two pickups that leaped denver from second-tier to first, imo. the gordon one was harder and happened first, and i wonder if that's what rob is hoping to do, now or this summer. denver bought low on a guy who was miscast as a #1 or #2 and had been playing on a bad team. they got him for an already rapidly declining gary harris, a protected first, and a rookie who was out of the league shortly thereafter. who's that guy right now?

one buy-low candidate i like is immanuel quickley. not sure if toronto is really wanting to give him up, but i thought i read somewhere that he's viewed as a distressed asset. i disagree and think he's just slightly overpaid. but yeah, the market isn't flush with gordon type pickups right now, so you do what you can.

i still think that signing quentin grimes and ellis outright this summer and bringing lebron back at 20 per would make us really good next year, even if it's not quite my dream.

it's just really hard to navigate the end of a superstar career.

 

So in essence punt on this season? f*** that. I don't know what we are going to do, but standing pat as is, is not the move.

 

people keep saying punt on the season as if there are obviously better alternatives. for the 10th time in the past 24 hours, the only deal we've passed on is downgrading from rui to hunter and adding salary for next year. nobody has traded junk and a 1st for a starting caliber player yet. if you can do it, go for it. if you can't, don't do something you'll regret to lose in 6 games instead of 5 in round 1.

 

We don't really know who is available at what price, all we have is some media speculation on some stuff. Nobody predicted Harden looking for a move.. in example, so I expect us to be exploring multiple avenues. We could be posturing about not taking long-term money, it depends on the players involved. I don't believe that to be, some kind of ironclad directive. We just didn't prefer to do it, for the guys mentioned. I think Grant or Wiggins, would immediately become our primary perimeter defender. That has value, both guys would be upgrades over Gabe and Rui defensively, in the roles we are asking of them IMO. There are other options that could work too.

 

we are 100% posturing about not taking on long-term salary.

we clearly considered it for wiggins before the season, and we clearly weighed it for hunter (we just wanted compensation for doing it, which makes sense).

i would love to trade gabe/kleber/knecht/1st for a long-term fit making 25 per. if that's out there, i'm sure we'll do it. but you can't...make it be out there.

 

yeah. is it "kicking the can"? maybe a bit. and i don't agree with the framing of "on draft night, we'll have..." because that again sets people up to get mad all over again, expecting some splashy move on that date that is, as is everything, subject to many uncontrolled forces.

just say that we think flexibility this summer is better than what's in front of us now. i just feel like patience has paid off better for us than impulsive decision making (e.g., the summer of westbrook). i really think we wouldn't have gotten luka had we made some of the smaller moves people wanted along the way. and that's not to say i expect another luka-level move, just that i think it's possible we end up with something that people are happier with than what's being passed on right now.

 

I just don't see this monster team in the West, that we need multiple more players, than what we already have, in order to beat. I just don't..Who? Why?

We haven't even had Reaves, for over half of this season, we don't know what this group is fully capable of yet. We won 50 games last season, and improved on that team, adding Ayton,Smart and Laravia. I don't think we are that far off, as some of you guys.

 

I've been thinking this too - we're actually not as far away as it may seem. Acquiring two starters slots everyone else better. If Jake is like the 8th guy, rather than the 5th guy, you're a pretty damn good team. If Smart is the bench defense/hustle guy, and not your starting POA guy, you're a pretty damn good team.

 

Trade Gabe/Knecht/Maxi and a 1st rounder for Gary Trent Jr. and Bobby Portis Jr.

BPJ is one of the more underrated players who has become an elite shooting big who can play the 3-5. Not the best defender but above average.

Gives the Lakers two guys who can shoot and actually provide value rather than three guys on the Lakers taking up roster spots but providing absolutely nothing.

Wasting Luka and Reaves prime is just ridiculous. It's also pretty upsetting that the Lakers were able to get a capable 20/5/5 guy in Reaves for the past 3 years for basically dirt cheap and weren't able to turn that into a stacked roster.

Rob keeps trying to use the excuse of saving the picks for the offseason... It's been the same excuse used for at least 3 years now. At some point, you need to see the issue is quite clear: You have basically 7 playable players on the roster. If your two stars (Luka, LeBron, or Reaves) aren't playing elite basketball, there isn't enough depth on the roster to make up for that difference.

I give credit to Rob for keeping the Lakers options open with the picks and no long-term salary commitments but with how Luka and Reaves are playing along with the rest of the league all being beatable, you have to try and make a push for it. The picks are meant to be used. Unless they think they have a real shot at Giannis or Jokic, I'm not sure what they're waiting for.

 

Oof I’m strongly against using the 1st on a deal for Portis and Trent. I like Portis as a 4/5 but not for a 1st. If we’re taking on a guy who is best as a big off the bench and salary for an additional year - on a team going nowhere and trading their superstar now or in the offseason - nah, no 1st.

 

We'd be sending out 26M for 17M in return. Might as well make that deal for Myles Turner. Then flip Ayton to Indiana for Mathurin.

 

yeah, i'd rather keep the first in my pocket on this one. without the first? i consider it. i pitched just kleber/knecht for portis the other day if giannis is moved. we eat the year of portis, they get a prospect who can put points on the board in a way that might excite fans.

 

Tough sell. Knecht has negative value and the Lakers can't get rid of him.

Portis is a career 40% shooter from three as a big and is currently shooting 45% from three this season. He's a good rebounder, can score from anywhere, and could play the 4/5 which gives the Lakers lots of options with lineups. Also hustles and plays with a sense of urgency out there which the Lakers quite frankly need considering Ayton/Rui's lack of energy at times.

At the very least, worth multiple seconds.

Trent could probably be had for seconds and can give the Lakers a volume shooter to replace Gabe as a rotational player.

I don't see how the Lakers can just give up scraps and expect to get players who can help. None of the players they can offer have any value right now outside of possibly Rui and he's an expiring salary.

 

eh, that's what everyone is saying. i don't actually believe he has negative value. i believe people are saying that.

i'd give them a second. probably not a first. jjj just went for three firsts and a bag o' beans.

i just think you can find trent-level players in FA every year. i'm also done bringing in "shooters". for whatever reason, none of them ever do it here.