Very OT - LA Lakers trade D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets (Caris LeVert)
In an completely unexpected move, the Lakers give SG D'Angelo Russell and C Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets and in return recieve Net's C Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick:
Lakers are trading Tim Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell to Nets for Brook Lopez and 27th pick Thursday, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 20, 2017
Also according to Woj, the Lakers making the moves to entice Pacers' Paul George and Cavs' LeBron James as FAs in 2018:
For the Lakers, this is longer-term play to clear space for Paul George and LeBron James pursuit. Lonzo Ball on way at No.2 https://t.co/KxfdEuAUO0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 20, 2017
I wonder what this means for former Wolverine and 1st rounder SG Caris LeVert on the Nets. Caris spent a large portion of his rookie season coming back from injury, but ended the season with an average of 10pt/2ast/4rbs on 24 minutes after the All-Star Break. It really looked like the Nets were committed to starting and developing LeVert for the long-haul.
Currently the Nets' backcourt consists of:
- PG: Jeremy Lin, Isaiah Whitehead, Spencer Dinwiddle
- SG: D'Angelo Russell, Sean Kilpatrick, Caris LeVert, Randy Foye, Archie Goodwin, KJ McDaniels
Probably good to get George now, so he will be in his second year in the system when LeBron arrives.
LeVert showed enough last year to be first SG off the bench if he's healthy. He will be just fine.
I guess I was hopeful that LeVert could help increase Michigan's exposure in the NBA. Especially with the current trajectory of Trey Burke's pro career. Tim Hardaway Jr. on the Hawks seems like the only bright spot right now.
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Nets are super high on LeVert. LeVert showed flashes that he'll be one of the better SG in the league. Runs PnR like a savvy vet. Once he find his shooting stroke, he'll be great.
He will turn 34 that season and would have to play in the same division as Golden State. And, you are playing with a bunch of guys that have done nothing in the NBA - albeit a potentially talented team. What is in it for him? To get extra endorsement money in L.A.? I can't imagine that would make a difference at this point in his career.
Why not stick with Kyrie, add Jimmy Butler and get a big man with Cleveland? Or if you want to go the superteam route, go to Boston and be the last piece to put them into contention. Either way, you get to relax in the Eastern Conference and not worry about the Warriors until the Finals.
Make no mistake, I'd love it if LeBron played for us. If Cleveland w/him isn't good enough to win a title right now, LAL right now is even less suited. In Kyrie you have another guy who can get a basket when you really need it - that's fine. If we grant that PG13 (who *is* coming to LA) is approximately as good, there's still the rest of the roster and Cleveland's right now is still far better for winning a ring than LA's.
We should be good down that line, but our window doesn't line up with LeBron's. And all the talk about location is, to me, fairly last century. If you have millions you can live like a king anywhere and you can grow your business brand anywhere. Moreover, the notion that LeBron's wife liking L.A. is gonna push him there? Ask Sarah Harbaugh about the Bay Area.
have zero cap space to make any moves. Jimmy Butler wouldn't fit in under the current cap space unless they part way with Kyrie or K-Love.
Just a hunch. I haven't heard any chatter. But I don't think he wants to play in Kobe's shadow.
Also, I'd be surprised if LeBron wants to go out West. That's still the superior conference. He'll be 34-35 and I don't know if he's up to all the travel and facing better competition.
have room for both PG13 and LBJ? They need to find a way to get rid of Deng and sign a lot of cheap vets to fill out the roster. They really don't have cap space to sign both of them.
It would seem iike this is set up for LeBron to go to the Lakers.
Are you kidding me? IIRC Kareem, Wilt, and Shaq all are regarded just fine for going to the Lakers later in their careers.
Y'know why?(You're a fellow Lakers fan so of course you know why) Its because theyre the fucking Lakers. It's a glamour franchise in a glamour sport in a way the Clippers will never be. LeBron knows this and that's why it's the forum Blue and gold for him if he ends up in LA.
That said, I agree. It's unlikely that Lebron goes to the Lakers, but if George ends up anywhere else I will be shocked.
He's not going to the Lakers. Paul George is going there but there is nearly zero chance Lebron goes. If he ends up in L.A. it will be with the Clippers.
Also, Lebron doesn't give a shit about which franchise is the glamour franchise.
If it's a choice between the Lakers and the Clippers I am willing to bet he would.
A lot of whether LeBron considers the Lakers has to do with Ingram's development, IMO. He made strides at the end of last year. He was apparently the one player they weren't willing to consider moving this off season. If he makes a leap this year, LeBron, PG, Ingram is a good nucleus for the way the NBA plays now. Can switch everything and have three players with pretty varied skill sets. I'm not sold on Lonzo Ball as an All-Star level player, but that's another potential piece.
Not sure that's enough to compete with the Warriors, but two years is a long time They're certainly set up better in two years than the Clippers, who have an aging CP, DeAndre, and really nothing else. (Blake is not going to be there next year).
they really don't have anybody good on the roster except for Clarkson.
I honestly don't see CP3 and LBJ coexisting together on the court. CP3 is a ball dominant PG who needs PnR to succeed.
The first sight Russell sees in the Net clubhouse...
I'm still of two minds about DAR to the Nets.
- In a vaccuum, I'm not sure I like this trade. I think he has the tools to be a star. His numbers at age 20 were in the same ballpark as nobodies like Curry and Harden at the same age. You need a critical mass of guys who can shoot AND pass to have a GSW-lite offense and Russell checked both boxes. Having two big point guards to facilitiate the offense looked intriguing. Even if he went to Ohio State, he still had the good sense to bolt after a year. Without him, backcourt depth just got a lot worse - I love Jordan Clarkson but he's got a definite ceiling.
- On the flip side - the main counterweight to everything I said above is that the guys who've spent the most time working with DAR - the Laker front office and coaching staff - were OK with letting him go, so.... yeah. And, as intriguing as DAR and Ball on offense would've been, that same backcourt on defense would've been awful-to-bad for at least two more years. The other not-so-hidden blessing is that the Mosgov contract was a fkn albatross and had to be jettisoned. (WTF, KUPCHAK) Anything short of losing Ingram would've been a defensible price to pay. Also, Brook Lopez now becomes the best center we've had in 5 years and yes, that means you, post-2011 Bynum and Dwight Coward. He can become a star here or we can use his expiring contract for another big piece next year - win/win.
Bottom line though is that even if I have doubts aobut this trade in a vaccuum, things don't happen in a vaccuum. There *have to be* other moves down the line. At the moment, we have 5 bigs - Lopez, Zubac, Tarik Black (NTTB), Larry Nance, T-Robinson - and not nearly enough minutes for them all, so I gotta think we shed 1-2 of them.
The trade's a gamble - but at least there's an upside to it, unlike the inexplicable Deng and Mosgov contracts. If we're banking on PG13 to attract 1-2 other marquee guys, there are worse gambles you could take. So I guess here's where we hold on to our butts
I believe that Magic Johnson is running things for the Lakers now. Danny Ainge is the GM for the Boston Celtics.
Idk...I can easily see the Lakers as the "losers" of this trade if they don't actually sign George, and potentially LeBron. They gave up a former #2 overall pick who is still 21 years old who was honestly pretty decent this year (16/5/4 on 29 minutes) for a 29 year old Center who is a defensive liability and the 27th pick.
Username checks out...
wtf?
wtf is this lebron to LA talk? their hubris really knows no bounds
Apparently he has no loyalty or liking towards GIlbert and the Cavs management. Word is, he felt that he owed the fans his effort to try and get them a championship, now that it is accomplished, maybe he moves on.
I also think it is indicitive that a major reporter came out and said that LA was a completely plausible destination for Lebron in 2018 and none of the beat writers who are actually in the know with Lebron have come out to refute the claim. I'm not saying it is going to happen, and may not even be likely, but it seems to be clear that Lebron will at least entertain the thought of being in LA.
Well considering LeBron has already chosen Cleveland once
Anyone ever checked how many players own or rent a home in LA that don't actually play there?
They've had more success recently than the tigers.
LOL tigers.
This comment would make a lot more sense in 2005.
The Pistons have had one winning season in the past nine years. The Tigers won their division four times during that span. The Tigers have gone to the playoffs five times in the last 11 years, won two AL penants during that span, and have only two losing seasons over those 11 years (excluding this year). Your comment only makes sense if by "success" you mean exclusively "win the championship," and if by "recently" you mean "the last three decades"--which isn't exacly recent in terms of American professional sports. The Tigers have been a far more engaging and successful franchise over the past decade than the Pistons--which you likely know.