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

[SleepingHero]

If 11 teams have 75% of the available picks, doesn't that mean those 11 teams are well positioned to outbid us for anything worth having?

No not necessarily. The teams with the 3 most picks are the Jazz, Spurs, and OKC. OKC of course can out bid any one at any time. They've seem reluctant to do so. And truthfully looking at their picks, most of them are very late protected and aren't nearly as valuable as say an unprotected 2031 FRP from Dallas. Jazz are more motivated for a guard than a wing or big. They were all in on Dame. So theoretically they aren't going to be bidding against the same dudes the Mavs would be after. Same with the Spurs.

Chicago is right.  When is the last time a deal was announced and we all sat around and said...'man, that was cheap'.  'I can't believe it only cost....'.   That never happens.  We can be staunchly opposed to this or that, but we need to be somewhat realistic.  We overvalue our stuff compared to reality.

We can talk about two seconds and this/that if we want.  To me, it feels so unrealistic that I don't see the point.  We know the price tag is higher than that and if that is the stand we take then what we are staunchly opposed to is completing a deal.  

Kuzma with Lively, Luka, Green and Kyrie solves our starting five for years to come.  Gafford with GWill, DJJ, Hardy and Exum is a very solid bench for years to come.  OMax is a bet.  None of us know if that bet will pay off (Free Roddy B).  2027 is painful.  I get it.  I'd love an unprotected swap so at least we'd have a pick.  Maybe that can happen.  But we can fill two holes at once if we do something like this.  I guess I like the outcome.  I've never been a huge Kuzma fan myself.  But, the end result makes sense to me.

There have been COUNTLESS deals we've sat here and said wow thats so cheap in the last 2 years! Dereck White (a player that's better than Kuzma through and through) was gotten for the corpse of Josh Richardson and a conditional 1st (which ended up being 25th) and a swap. We all thought it was a steal.

Mason Plumlee to the Clips for Reggie Jackson and a 2nd was another great deal. The Suns traded away Jalen Smith for a 2nd pick and the corpse of Terry Craig.

There are deals to be made. Of course Kuzma won't be cheap, but to include 2027 for him I think is silly. I'd be much more interested in converting one of our guys into a 1st and then using it for Kuzma.


I just think we're worlds apart on Kuzma's expected contributions. I see a larger, more immature THJ, who is even less efficient. I'm so not into paying a premium for him.