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

[KillerLeft]

It's just (what's the word I'm looking for) to think Nico was talking about the Clipper trash via Sixers when he spoke of rebounding and physicality.  

Love me some Lively, but 'ride or die' with a rookie 19 year old center in the playoffs is not a plan.  It is a prayer.

The goal is to build a competitive team, not a competitive season. Ideally, you’d want the best of both, but the obvious choice in front of the Mavs right now, at least in my opinion, is to maximize their lottery talent center who’s already way ahead of schedule, not send the last few precious assets out for another one. 

I think they KNEW at some point over the summer that Lively was more ready than assumed, and I think that’s why they held off on all the Capela stuff (good choice). I think they KNEW at about that same point that O-Max was a little less ready than we hoped, and that’s why they signed DJJ late. 

Maybe they do want another center, but if so, I sure hope it’s not an expensive starter. That just seems counterproductive in a few ways. 

My hope is that we get to see a full year of how Luka, Williams, Lively, Green, Hardy and hopefully even O-Max look. I’m excited about Irving, Hardaway and DJJ, too, but that first group of 25 and unders needs room and freedom to grow together. That should be the priority. Building synergy and chemistry with the core.