If you're Houston and you legitimately have a chance to get Love using picks, Asik and/or Lin, maybe with Parsons you have to pull the trigger on that deal. Even if Love threatens to leave in free agency you try that deal because all those assets would potentially leave anyways. Asik and Lin are gone, Parsons could stay, and the draft pick is not necessarily something that will help us right now. I think anything else makes the deal a hard pill to swallow, and at that point you have to take into account Love's hesitancy.
If they get the #1, I don't think they would pass on the opportunity to get Wiggins, who might be the best prospect since LeBron (and maybe Anthony Davis). But if it's #2 or higher.....yeah, I'd trade it for Love.
Maybe I don't value the two poison pills enough, but I don't see them as the expensive part. I might concede with you, giving up Parsons is hard, but even the pick doesn't seem too expensive either. It is a gamble, I'll admit that. Dwight leaving the Lakers is proof of that. Let me flip this on you, let's say Blake Griffin pulled the same situation up, would you pull the trigger on the deal then?
Let me double flip on you: Which one of the following scenarios is the most ideal to you: A.) Trade the farm for Kevin Love the expiring contract B.) Use our pick and Dmo to dump Lin, give away Asik, and sign Melo to a max deal. C.) Use our pick and Dmo to dump Lin and sign Lowry to 13m dollar deal in the off season. D.) Trade Jones + our pick + Asik for Paul Milsap E.) Stay the course, let Lin/Asik expire and pursue Dragic, Milsap, M.Gasol, LMA, Love, or Rondo in free agency, while using Parsons bird rights to resign him.
Suns have a bright future, so it is very unlikely Dragic will leave. Milsap, Love, Rondo are probably going be traded and off market next summer. Not sure if M. Gasol will improve this much since we have Howard. So Morey better goes all in this summer.
A and D are the most attractive to me. I think a lot of the free agents you listed in E won't come here on their own accord. Morey has proven me wrong in picking up Howard, but in general Houston and free agents have a tumultuous past. C isn't a horrible plan B, Lowry is a good pick up, but like Batum is to Portland, I think it is an expensive player for what he can provide. I'm not super sold on Melo. Melo is interesting, and if he knocks at your door you're an idiot not to consider him, but I'm just not sure there will be enough ball to go around between him, Harden and Howard. The only reason I lean toward A more than D is because I think Love's ability to spread the floor and shoot will fit nicely around here. Millsap isn't a bad consolation prize either. But you didn't answer my question/flip. Blake Griffin, you go for it?
Do they still not have caproom this summer? If they do can't you trade a player for essentially cap space and create a trade exception?
Well, your the only one in that camp my friend. It's either Love or build out the rest of the roster with a better supporting cast.
Its a fair amount of people who would rather have Melo. If I had to choose Melo or Love I would choose Melo personally
Oddly enough there might be something to this. If Love really is an "LA Guy" through and through, family and college ties, Laker fan growing up, etc. He may really think like some of those folks. And we know how they just love Howard for the total screw job he gave them . It's a pretty far stretch of "what ifs" but hell anything is possible. Especially when home turf is involved.
he spent one year at UCLA his family moved with him down here but he grew up in Oregon - the guy has spent more time in Minnesota than in LA - he may spend his off seasons here but a lot of guys do. Honestly I do not think Love will come here and will try to go with the Lakers - mainly because if he comes here he would be at best option 2B along with Howard and I believe Love wants to be a clear cut option 1 or a clear cut option 2 wherever he may go. He would be option 2 in GS, Lakers and could possibly be option 1 in chicago evne with Rose back.
