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

[omahen]

Its kind of ironic.  This is exactly how I feel on those days when I think this team was likely a first round out.  Lively/Powell/Maxi are enough.  Watch for a year and let the kids develop. This summer we make our move.  But, on those days when I think the team has a higher ceiling, I want to make a move for a higher level target.  

The optimism centers largely on Lively and the higher I am on him the more I want to fill the rest of the center minutes with better quality.  He won't be ready for a 34 minute role in the playoffs.  Maxi/Powell won't fix our rebounding and PiP issues.  It is like I said yesterday.  We can all debate what position we most need to upgrade.  But, the level of player a person perceives we need (or is willing to pay for) seems tied to what they perceive as the team's upside.  Frankly, no one in the west outside of Denver scares me that much.  Therefore, I'm more willing to give up to get as long as I'm getting the right player.  I don't want a Band-Aid.  I want an addition to the core.

I think there are two conversations going on here.  1. The targeted player conversation.  Someone says Randle and I want to throw up.  I say Poeltl and others don't see it.  Someone says Caruso and I say great.  But how does that prevent points in the paint or help our rebounding?  2.  The thing I mention above regarding upside...the level of player we need conversation.  Maybe its timeline.  Maybe its perceived upside.  Call it what you want.  The biggest change in our outcome would come at the 5 or the 4/5 as long as the 4/5 is a two-position defensive stud (thinking Siakam).  One thing I want to be really careful about is adding players who need the ball to succeed.  It just isn't going to work next to Luka.  So, no need to pay for it.  I think Nico was dead on in identifying the biggest hole we have.  If a proposed name isn't helping with that, it probably isn't the right name.

Nico said he would like "someone who plays with physicality, rebounding is always a plus". I don't think this necessarily means a center or even a PF. 

I agree it all depends on where we think this team is. Personally, I don't think we are a center away from being a contender. I think a two way wing is a bigger need. Two way in a sense that he is a great defender