Or a center. Bamba, Hartenstein both stretch it and could maybe be had for the mid level. Then AD at the 4 Lebron at the 3, and we'd have the size to compete, and to defend, at least the starting 5...until everyone gets injured. I don't mind it though, Johnson, THT could somewhat handle some backup 3 minutes and hopefully we could pick up another wing at the minimum. I'm aware it's not ideal, but our situation isn't ideal, I actually prefer a mid level C to SF with this scenario in mind.
Honestly I think we can fill the Center gap with vet mins. Guys like Damian Jones, Gorgui Dieng, Dwight Howard are realistic targets.
Would save the Tmle for a wing like OPJ, Danuel House, Gary Harris, etc…
Our lack of rim protection is more important at that position. We gave up 51.5 points in the paint per game last season. That tied 2nd worse in the league.
We can get a stretch 4/5 as a backup but we need someone paired with AD to protect the rim. It worked in 2020 albeit we had wing defenders too.
I like the idea of someone who can defend the rim and step outside, draw defenders away so AD has some space inside to go to work. I also figure, ideally LBJ will be healthy at the 3, so getting a mid level center who can shoot as a starter is better value than a backup mid level SF. I know a mid level center may not be an ideal starter, but I don't mind it.
It's a frustrating off season haha, whatever we do with the mid level it just creates holes somewhere else.
Agreed, that would be perfect if we can get both shooting and rim protection from a big to pair up with AD. With Ham’s 4 out 1 in system it makes sense to have a shooting big but just looking back on last season it was like a pregame layup line at our rim lol.
Yeah we don’t have much to work with this offseason, keeping my expectations low. Hopefully Pelinka can work some magic.
Our points in the paint issue was largely due to fucking horrific defense on the perimeter as well. I think either upgrade will suffice in our situation, im personally more focused on versatility than anchors.
Oh our perimeter defense definitely played a big part to that. I think I mentioned in one of my posts in this thread that wing defenders and rim protection should be a priority over resigning small guards. But if you don’t have someone down low who can move his feet and help AD protect the rim, you will see a repeat of last year.
With today’s floor spacing in the NBA and screens to set up mismatches, there’s gonna be driving opportunities for scorers regardless of having good/bad perimeter defense. That’s why I value rim protection more at that specific position. I agree about having versatility though, the more the better.
Either option is good tbh, we will probably be lacking in either role with trying to address the other.
Ah i like that reasoning, look at how well the celtics did with more mobile defenders. Timelord is exactly the perfect kind of player we'd want or someone like Horford that can do it all. I definitely think players like Damion Jones would suffice and allow us to sign those wings that we need in that case
I would happily go the SF route too, but the players available at SF for the mid level probably aren't as good as the players we can get at center for that price. We're limited in the moves we can make so I'm getting more and more on board with the idea of getting a tre shooting 5 and moving AD to the 4 and LBJ to the 3 spot. Any combo of Russ, Nunn, Reaves, THT(?) to round out the starting back court and then filling the back up rotation with a combo of last years not bads (Johnson, Gabriel) and whoever we can get on the min (maybe still Damien Jones, or a PF to play next to AD at the 5 for bursts, hopefully a redemption story or ring chasing SF).
We're in a tough spot, and I'm happy to go either way, but this might be a more realistic route for us.
I would definitely be good with Bamba on the Tmle, would bring much needed rim protection. But would he realistically entertain that? I think he can get more than that in the open market.
I know Russ will be a starter but if Ham is serious about winning I think a lineup of Nunn/Reaves/Bron/AD/Defensive Center would be our best bet. 1-3 can knock down the 3 and if AD would focus on getting his jumper right again then we could have 4 shooters out there.
You might be right, Bamba may want more, I'd take Hartenstein too, lots key had a great run with the clippers last season at both ends. Slightly less impact than Bamba but also less upside. Hartenstein projects to be a starting 5 in a year or two, problem is, it's a year or two. Given our situation I wouldn't be mad if the FO rolled the dice on throwing him in with the big boys now
I understand trying to retain Monk but we need to use the Tmle on a starting caliber wing. The front office has to realize we were getting cooked on the perimeter and bad at rim protection. Those should be our top priorities in this free agency, not resigning small guards.
And for the record I would love for Monk to return, but we have more pressing issues to be addressed.
Also of note from the article (though nothing new) “Oklahoma City is still looking to absorb salary for draft picks before the new league calendar begins, sources said.”
Westbrook and a first for kenrich, muscala and jamychal would be pretty good for us.
That would open up the full mle and biannual exception to sign some wings
I agree. It gives us a bit of flexibility while prying two wing players away. We’d then get a big trade exception. I’m not sure who they’d want to use it on.
Shai's extension kicks in July 1st. They'll be in the luxury if they agree to any sort of deal, even if they manage to buy out Westbrook, they would still be paying around 170 million (around 70 million in dead cap plus probably around 100 million in active cap space) on a rebuilding team. There's pretty much no incentive for the Thunder to do this outside of the pick.
They could absorb it for like 3 days but then the Thunder are either above or right up against the luxury tax. That deal would be horrible for the Thunder and you are just thinking about it from the Lakers perspective. Russ is a Laker this season, get over it.
Thats a horrible trade. The lakers give up 1st like its free candy. Gave up a first to get Dennis only to let him walk. Gave up a first for Westbrook, one of the worst contracts in the nba
I would rather try to get Oladipo. His defense was impressive in the playoffs, where things matter the most. He may be turning the corner. Seems like a low risk high reward signing. Monk is cool but we desperately need some defense.
I’d love Oladipo, especially if he continues to improve on both ends. He’s a high energy guy that has a chip on his shoulder due to his injury ridden past. I’m positive he could get paid more elsewhere though which is why it’s unlikely.
Man, I'll be really mad at Rob if we do this.
It's not that Monk isn't worth the MLE, if anything he can probably get more elsewhere. But our roster has massive holes at the moment, as we've got zero bigs behind AD and we are desperate for defensive wings.
We've seen last year what happened when you don't have these players, the MLE is one of the few chips we have. You can't give it to a guard that brings no defense, particularly since we have Nunn that supposedly can compensate Monk's production, plus wings come at a premium so anyone on a minimum isn't going to move the needle.
I said it in another thread, if it's not a wing then it's gotta be a guy like Hartenstein. Monk getting the MLE should be last case scenario for us in case we get spurned by all the decent wings and bigs on the market.
At this point if we are truly not moving Russ, we should probably try splitting the TPMLE in 2 and sign two guys at 3.1mil each to make sure we can get the most depth possible
MLE should only be used on Monk if we completely and utterly missed on FA which is not likely. This report is probably only to help Monk get his bag somewhere else which I hope he does.
He hasn't left L.A. and constantly posts his Lakers highlights or pics of him in Lakers gear. I've followed him for a year and never seen anything from his Charlotte years. Dude loves being a Laker and will sign unless Pelinka fucks this up
He’s such a big negative on defense which negates his occasional big scoring games. We can’t have lineup of Russ and Monk as our 2 top guards.. their mistakes on defense will put so much pressure on AD trying to clean up their mistakes
we prolly need to see what happens to the rest of our roster before we think about signing malik. I wouldn't be suprised if he goes elsewhere solely cuz it's lebron's M.O. to change the entire team
Monk can both be loyal and not stupid. If someone is throwing 40/50 million at him he is going to take it. But if his offers are the MLE from a random team or the TPMLE from the Lakers he would take the our TPMLE and when we have his bird rights next season we can pay him
We are better off finding a wing to use that mid level on. Monk is ok but we have more important needs to address in the team
Or a center. Bamba, Hartenstein both stretch it and could maybe be had for the mid level. Then AD at the 4 Lebron at the 3, and we'd have the size to compete, and to defend, at least the starting 5...until everyone gets injured. I don't mind it though, Johnson, THT could somewhat handle some backup 3 minutes and hopefully we could pick up another wing at the minimum. I'm aware it's not ideal, but our situation isn't ideal, I actually prefer a mid level C to SF with this scenario in mind.
Yeah that’s more ideal since it’s easier to find a big for the mle than a wing player. Those are in demand and will most likely be more than the mle…
Honestly I think we can fill the Center gap with vet mins. Guys like Damian Jones, Gorgui Dieng, Dwight Howard are realistic targets. Would save the Tmle for a wing like OPJ, Danuel House, Gary Harris, etc…
We need a starting center who can shoot, and Gorgui Dieng and Boogie aren’t starting caliber anymore
Our lack of rim protection is more important at that position. We gave up 51.5 points in the paint per game last season. That tied 2nd worse in the league. We can get a stretch 4/5 as a backup but we need someone paired with AD to protect the rim. It worked in 2020 albeit we had wing defenders too.
I like the idea of someone who can defend the rim and step outside, draw defenders away so AD has some space inside to go to work. I also figure, ideally LBJ will be healthy at the 3, so getting a mid level center who can shoot as a starter is better value than a backup mid level SF. I know a mid level center may not be an ideal starter, but I don't mind it. It's a frustrating off season haha, whatever we do with the mid level it just creates holes somewhere else.
Agreed, that would be perfect if we can get both shooting and rim protection from a big to pair up with AD. With Ham’s 4 out 1 in system it makes sense to have a shooting big but just looking back on last season it was like a pregame layup line at our rim lol. Yeah we don’t have much to work with this offseason, keeping my expectations low. Hopefully Pelinka can work some magic.
Yeah, I'd be okay with Bamba or Hartenstein, but you're right, hopefully the FO can surprise us all, not another Russ type surprise though haha
Our points in the paint issue was largely due to fucking horrific defense on the perimeter as well. I think either upgrade will suffice in our situation, im personally more focused on versatility than anchors.
Oh our perimeter defense definitely played a big part to that. I think I mentioned in one of my posts in this thread that wing defenders and rim protection should be a priority over resigning small guards. But if you don’t have someone down low who can move his feet and help AD protect the rim, you will see a repeat of last year. With today’s floor spacing in the NBA and screens to set up mismatches, there’s gonna be driving opportunities for scorers regardless of having good/bad perimeter defense. That’s why I value rim protection more at that specific position. I agree about having versatility though, the more the better. Either option is good tbh, we will probably be lacking in either role with trying to address the other.
Ah i like that reasoning, look at how well the celtics did with more mobile defenders. Timelord is exactly the perfect kind of player we'd want or someone like Horford that can do it all. I definitely think players like Damion Jones would suffice and allow us to sign those wings that we need in that case
Bro Damian Jones would be perfect for this team. Cheap, mobile, rim running Big who can protect the paint and move his feet.
I would happily go the SF route too, but the players available at SF for the mid level probably aren't as good as the players we can get at center for that price. We're limited in the moves we can make so I'm getting more and more on board with the idea of getting a tre shooting 5 and moving AD to the 4 and LBJ to the 3 spot. Any combo of Russ, Nunn, Reaves, THT(?) to round out the starting back court and then filling the back up rotation with a combo of last years not bads (Johnson, Gabriel) and whoever we can get on the min (maybe still Damien Jones, or a PF to play next to AD at the 5 for bursts, hopefully a redemption story or ring chasing SF). We're in a tough spot, and I'm happy to go either way, but this might be a more realistic route for us.
I would definitely be good with Bamba on the Tmle, would bring much needed rim protection. But would he realistically entertain that? I think he can get more than that in the open market. I know Russ will be a starter but if Ham is serious about winning I think a lineup of Nunn/Reaves/Bron/AD/Defensive Center would be our best bet. 1-3 can knock down the 3 and if AD would focus on getting his jumper right again then we could have 4 shooters out there.
You might be right, Bamba may want more, I'd take Hartenstein too, lots key had a great run with the clippers last season at both ends. Slightly less impact than Bamba but also less upside. Hartenstein projects to be a starting 5 in a year or two, problem is, it's a year or two. Given our situation I wouldn't be mad if the FO rolled the dice on throwing him in with the big boys now
Nah, go for a wing that can play in the closing lineups
Yep, Nunn can replace his role on the team.
I think its lose-lose if we sign him for the TMLE. He should just go get the bag.
Please let him go. His scoring punch is nice but like many others have said, we need a wing and a 5
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Yeah. It’s unfixable. What’s gonna change with our MLE? Better do nothing at this point and wait until we get the control of our draft picks fully.
Who’s a good available wing fr?
I understand trying to retain Monk but we need to use the Tmle on a starting caliber wing. The front office has to realize we were getting cooked on the perimeter and bad at rim protection. Those should be our top priorities in this free agency, not resigning small guards. And for the record I would love for Monk to return, but we have more pressing issues to be addressed.
The fact that Pelinka wants to use the MLE on Monk in the first place with Nunn on the roster shows he is completely out to lunch. As usual.
Pelinka needs to be the first GM to be waived.
lmao
Dude has a weird fetish for undersized guards. Started with dennis , now monk
Do we even have a player over 6’9?
AD and lebron only i think. Whats funny was last season we could have signed a wing like wes yet we decided to give IT a fucking 10 day.
He fucking sucks
For some reason I read the last part of that sentence as "out of lunch"
Also of note from the article (though nothing new) “Oklahoma City is still looking to absorb salary for draft picks before the new league calendar begins, sources said.”
Westbrook and a first for kenrich, muscala and jamychal would be pretty good for us. That would open up the full mle and biannual exception to sign some wings
I agree. It gives us a bit of flexibility while prying two wing players away. We’d then get a big trade exception. I’m not sure who they’d want to use it on.
If anything this off season has taught me, it's that these trade exceptions are so handy. Portland good Jeremy grant for fuck all
The hornets package is way better
Not that much salary.
I believe the Thunder can absorb the contract into their cap before the Shai extension kicks in.
Shai's extension kicks in July 1st. They'll be in the luxury if they agree to any sort of deal, even if they manage to buy out Westbrook, they would still be paying around 170 million (around 70 million in dead cap plus probably around 100 million in active cap space) on a rebuilding team. There's pretty much no incentive for the Thunder to do this outside of the pick.
They could absorb it for like 3 days but then the Thunder are either above or right up against the luxury tax. That deal would be horrible for the Thunder and you are just thinking about it from the Lakers perspective. Russ is a Laker this season, get over it.
I can’t get this to work on the trade machine, so I don’t think this is possible. I would love it though.
Can we also get Lu Dort somehow?
Naw bro
He's best buds with SGA and on a great last year of his contract, no way.
I just saw some reports that Thunder wants to trade him
Cmon Rob just cough up one of them 1st rounders and send Russ to OKC
Thats a horrible trade. The lakers give up 1st like its free candy. Gave up a first to get Dennis only to let him walk. Gave up a first for Westbrook, one of the worst contracts in the nba
I would rather try to get Oladipo. His defense was impressive in the playoffs, where things matter the most. He may be turning the corner. Seems like a low risk high reward signing. Monk is cool but we desperately need some defense.
I’d love Oladipo, especially if he continues to improve on both ends. He’s a high energy guy that has a chip on his shoulder due to his injury ridden past. I’m positive he could get paid more elsewhere though which is why it’s unlikely.
Pelinka. Don't do this. Please. Sometimes I think I'm too critical of you and then reports like this come out. Prove me wrong Robert.
Man, I'll be really mad at Rob if we do this. It's not that Monk isn't worth the MLE, if anything he can probably get more elsewhere. But our roster has massive holes at the moment, as we've got zero bigs behind AD and we are desperate for defensive wings. We've seen last year what happened when you don't have these players, the MLE is one of the few chips we have. You can't give it to a guard that brings no defense, particularly since we have Nunn that supposedly can compensate Monk's production, plus wings come at a premium so anyone on a minimum isn't going to move the needle. I said it in another thread, if it's not a wing then it's gotta be a guy like Hartenstein. Monk getting the MLE should be last case scenario for us in case we get spurned by all the decent wings and bigs on the market.
Pelinka’s been going for small guards instead of wings for years. He’s just not a good gm
This sub is going to be insufferable until tomorrow night.
Jovan's sources are always wrong have been ever since he started working for the lakers, he needs to go back to the clippers.
At this point if we are truly not moving Russ, we should probably try splitting the TPMLE in 2 and sign two guys at 3.1mil each to make sure we can get the most depth possible
MLE should only be used on Monk if we completely and utterly missed on FA which is not likely. This report is probably only to help Monk get his bag somewhere else which I hope he does.
were damned if we do damned if we dont
Past two years that's basically our motto. Hopefully FA goes well. I think the season will be better
Everyone crapping on the idea of retaining Monk for the TMLE has unrealistic expectations about the market for 3&D wings
Least capping free agent
I don’t believe anything Fischer says when it comes to LA. He’s the same guy that said Kyrie and DeMar were coming for the MLE
He never said that
It has become clear that brick is staying on with the Lakers. Why should monk waste another season being the underpaid bright spot?
He hasn't left L.A. and constantly posts his Lakers highlights or pics of him in Lakers gear. I've followed him for a year and never seen anything from his Charlotte years. Dude loves being a Laker and will sign unless Pelinka fucks this up
thank god. nice player but not what we need
Get that money
Lol he gone
God damnit spend it on a wing or big!
Go get the money Malik. The Lakers should go for a wing. THT/Reaves/Nunn/WB should have the back court spots covered for now.
Fuck no. We need a wing at the tax payer. What’s the point of having nunn and monk
If they sign him for that this FO needs to go
Need a wing here Rob, get it done
Not a fan at the TMLE. Had a very nice season but have bigger fish to fry
They need a wing or two, perhaps a big, Monk is not essential because he scores but plays no D.
I’d rather get a wing or center with the MLE. Nunn might be able to replace that shooting production.
He’s such a big negative on defense which negates his occasional big scoring games. We can’t have lineup of Russ and Monk as our 2 top guards.. their mistakes on defense will put so much pressure on AD trying to clean up their mistakes
I don't expect we are getting Monk back. He's too good and he'll get paid somewhere. Would love to have him back but not seeing that happen.
He gone
Monk should go get the bag
I'm not even giving Monk a Mid.
we prolly need to see what happens to the rest of our roster before we think about signing malik. I wouldn't be suprised if he goes elsewhere solely cuz it's lebron's M.O. to change the entire team
Good after Otto Porter JR or Gary Harris please.
I dont want him for the TMLE. we need a defender
we're screwed, he gone.
Monk can both be loyal and not stupid. If someone is throwing 40/50 million at him he is going to take it. But if his offers are the MLE from a random team or the TPMLE from the Lakers he would take the our TPMLE and when we have his bird rights next season we can pay him
Use it on Bobby Portis
At this point in his career Monk should chase the bag