Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[F Gump]

Not sure how legit this is, but just so there’s something to discuss, do we feel like Caleb Martin is worth that last 1st?

https://twitter.com/lv_dalton/status/1679202413918711808?s=61&t=Zmns3TEXDYnIJIXeN05-eQ

Good news - The obvious salary match has to be JMc.
Bad news - He can only be a rental -- he becomes UFA  next summer, and he can't be extended before then. No telling what type of offers he might get. No RFA control.
Good news - But that reality might suppress the trade offers to beat.
Bad news - He's already about to turn 28, with only 4 years of NBA experience, and only 65 starts in 4 years.
Good news - But he does seem to still be getting better each year, with 49 starts and over 2000 minutes this last season.

Taking all that into consideration, I'm not offering a 1st, or even part of one. But I'm willing to talk about 2nd round picks (including swaps, and protections) and see where that takes things.

If there was some angle to being able to get a commitment for longer than a year, then a 1st (or part of one) begins to offer a way to make him more desirable. But that can't be done.