This is a very interesting question. RIGHT NOW-(it seems to change daily) it looks like Blake Griffin will most likely be a Laker in 2013 with Dwight Howard going back to the Clippers in a S&T assuming the Celtics/Clippers pull off this deal for Doc/KG to keep CP3 in LA(Clippers). With Howard going to the Clippers and Blake G. coming back to the Lakers, I do think they would keep Pau around to play alongside Griffin. A team comprised of- Nash & (possibly) Bledsoe Kobe MWP Griffin Pau is still a playoff worthy team if healthy. There would be very little point in dumping Pau just to dump Pau for financial reasons. They might as well pay the tax next year, and hope for a resurrection of the corpse of Steve Nash. If Nash comes back healthy next year, he could do wonders with Griffin's game. This team could actually be better than last years Lakers team assuming these pieces are healthy and fit much better together. I dont see Pau being available next year in all honesty. Maybe around the trade deadline, but at that point, Im not sure its worth it to waste assets on him when he will be available in free agency next Summer.
No mediocre "stars" like smith, Jefferson, or Millsap. Pickup Gasol on waivers or via a trade for one of our PFs. Then trade Lin and Asik via a third team if need be for Granger. You'd have an arguably better team this season and when Granger and Gasol come off the books you'd have a TON of cap room to offer Lebron, Bosh, Melo etc next season. I don't think it's possible to retain their bird rights after signing up one or two of those guys but if you could then resign Gasol that would be ideal.
Maybe we can facilitate in a 3 way with the LA teams -- Howard to the Clippers, Griffin and Bledsoe to the Rockets, cap relief and draft picks to the Lakers. The Lakers might even be able to fit another small salary dump like Steve Blake or Chris Duhon. Maybe they pick up a young guy like Jones. Of course, draft picks from the Clippers and Rockets after a trade like this won't be very good ones....
Why, he is a big baby (he and White would be a pair) Here is an other headcase at a fraction of the cost... BLATCHE Spot mins at the 5 / man the 4 when needed giving the younger player time to grow. Nice fit (same role as Blatche) if we can get him at the right price. He sould be looking to get paid well this up coming season. Maybe Timmy O is the answer for this role and just needs the coach's trust... cost less than a 1M per season. We are close now we need time and just small changes if plans A and B don't work. AKA don't miss up what is working now... and flexableity
If Dallas, Portland, or Utah manage to improve this off season the playoffs aren't a guarantee for us next year. Remember that we're declining the options for several players including: Delfino, Garcia, Brooks and we don't have any 1st round draft picks. There are a lot of minor pick ups we can make that would improve them team thought like Martel Webster, Corey Brewer, or Dunleavy. I do see the Nuggets and Lakers dropping off though.
We definitely need a PF other then the ones we have right now. Try to sign a guy to a two year deal, with the second year being a team option.
Those being so dismissive of Cousins continue to baffle me. Here we are as a franchise ready to sign one of the biggest headcases in the league in D12 (a risk that we have to be willing to take), but we should pass on Cousins for that same reason? I don't get it. Sure, Dwight is better, but the topic of discussion here are "Plan C" options. Cousins will be 23-years-old and making $5M next year. For a guaranteed 17-10 (at the very least), I'd say that's a gamble worth taking and great bang for your buck. Bottom line: this current group is fun to watch but it's painfully obvious that we're never going to be a serious contender while running spread PnR's with no inside presence to speak of. Hypothetically speaking, if we strikeout in free agency we could take all of that cap space that we've been preserving and offer Cousins an extension provided everything works out. At the very least, you'll let him play hard this year for a contract then decide what to do with him at the end of next season. You could do a lot worse.
To each his own. Asik is a valuable player but unless he's paired with a star PF, we're still going have the same problems next year that we had this year. We need a 4/5 that can score and draw double-teams.
This! Lets waste a year of Harden's contract after all Morey doesn't know what he's doing! We better not spend Les money.
