Ben Simmons 25
03-05-2019, 04:28 PM
Step 1 - Find a better interior defender and give up as many future draft picks + this year's lottery pick to do it. You have to do this step first because once your lottery pick is made it loses trade value instantly. It's actually the least important step but has to go first for the aforementioned reason.
Step 2 - Sign Klay Thompson to an absolute max deal (it's overpaying but it might get it done... the Lakers have to swing for the fence as they are in absolute win now mode with LeBron's contract)... if you can't make this signing happen, trade Ingram for some starting caliber SG that can hit threes. Maybe Buddy Hield if you can get Sacramento to bite. I think you can.
Step 3 - Trade Lonzo Ball (this is a mistake long term but remember we're gunning for now) in a S&T for Patrick Beverly or some other 3 & D point guard. Lonzo would be that guy if he could sustain his shooting. Maybe this step ends up being unnecessary but it'll be impossible to tell until next season. Maybe wait on this step until the beginning of the season and evaluate Lonzo's shooting.
Step 4 - Trade Kuzma + filler for Joe Harris + hopefully get BKN to give picks
Step 5 - Fill your bench with shooters. Keep Rondo to run the second unit.
Step 6 - Force Luke Walton to hire some defensive minded assistants or fire him and find a defensive oriented coach.
If the Lakers gut their entire roster for Anthony Davis, they won't have really solved anything except interior defense. Their shooting and perimeter defense will be atrocious and while they will improve, next year will be an even bigger shit show as 2 All-Stars struggle to dominate the league.
It's quite simple... the Lakers need shooting... and they're going to have to break up their young talent and cough them up to get it. And those guys may all go elsewhere and end up being far, far better in the long term and we might look back on these trades and say wow, that was horrible...
But I promise if you give LeBron some really good perimeter shooting and decent defense, they will be winning around 55 games.
Step 2 - Sign Klay Thompson to an absolute max deal (it's overpaying but it might get it done... the Lakers have to swing for the fence as they are in absolute win now mode with LeBron's contract)... if you can't make this signing happen, trade Ingram for some starting caliber SG that can hit threes. Maybe Buddy Hield if you can get Sacramento to bite. I think you can.
Step 3 - Trade Lonzo Ball (this is a mistake long term but remember we're gunning for now) in a S&T for Patrick Beverly or some other 3 & D point guard. Lonzo would be that guy if he could sustain his shooting. Maybe this step ends up being unnecessary but it'll be impossible to tell until next season. Maybe wait on this step until the beginning of the season and evaluate Lonzo's shooting.
Step 4 - Trade Kuzma + filler for Joe Harris + hopefully get BKN to give picks
Step 5 - Fill your bench with shooters. Keep Rondo to run the second unit.
Step 6 - Force Luke Walton to hire some defensive minded assistants or fire him and find a defensive oriented coach.
If the Lakers gut their entire roster for Anthony Davis, they won't have really solved anything except interior defense. Their shooting and perimeter defense will be atrocious and while they will improve, next year will be an even bigger shit show as 2 All-Stars struggle to dominate the league.
It's quite simple... the Lakers need shooting... and they're going to have to break up their young talent and cough them up to get it. And those guys may all go elsewhere and end up being far, far better in the long term and we might look back on these trades and say wow, that was horrible...
But I promise if you give LeBron some really good perimeter shooting and decent defense, they will be winning around 55 games.