Do any of those teams on that list make sense? LA - not really. They'll have salary issues with Lebron & Luka as it is. NYK - why? Miami - only if they go full rebuild. LAC - Can't see it happening but a Harden for Green swap works financially. GSW - I'm sure they'd love the opportunity to salvage Green's career but they have little to offer in return. Boston - Most interesting of them all - that team won't look the same to start next season because of the tax & aprons, they'll likely try and dump salary, Jalen could be part of that. OKC? ... Why would they do that? Toronto - Makes some sense - they get an exciting tank commander to put asses in seats. can we get Quickly in return?
Jalen for Derrick White could be an interesting proposition. I don't love that White is on the wrong side of 30, but he would make us better on both ends. The guy I'd really love to get on that team (aside from JT, obviously) is Payton Pritchard, but I think he'll want to hold onto him because he's inexpensive and productive.
The Rockets shouldn't include Sengun in any trade. Ditto for Amen. KD is on the trade block for max assets ala Westbrook. The Rockets will be ruined if they make such a move for any player.
Lakers - Reaves, interested in no one else. NYK - Eh...we need a scorer not another 3 and D wing so pass Miami - Not sure I see anything there either since I imagine they would not be trading Herro Clippers - Powell is more consistent but 31 and a role player himself so eh, rather hope and pray Jalen gets it than that. Warriors - For who??? Celtics - For who? They are not giving us Brown for Jalen so its pointless swapping him for other players. OKC - Why would they do this??? Look, I'm not swapping Jalen for some role player when Jalen is a role player himself right now. It is better to just hope and pray Jalen gets it then desperately trading him away for a guy like Powell or something. There IS one 'role player' I'd swap him for. Desmond Bane. Fits in with the culture here, can shoot it, only 26, I'd do that.
But what would it look like? I said Jalen for Austin Reaves, Maxi Kleber and Gabe Vincent in another thread. Salaries match, but what picks would change hands, if any?
I would like to see Jalen as 6th man instead of starting. If Ime doesn’t want to put Cam or Reed, at least put Jabari at 4 and bring down Dillon and Amen a spot so we have least size and more shooting. Jalen will be significantly better than Aaron Holiday coming out from the bench and we all know we have to bundle in future picks to trade him at this point so just keep him when his value is negative
Vegas just farming rich fans who would bet on anything mentioning their teams. I checked out what the odds were for the Lakers to win the series when they were down 1-3 and it was like +350 lol Vegas has special rules for them.
I could see the Lakers doing Reaves+dead weight for Jalen. Jalen is a flashier player with some upside and I’m sure they believe LeBron could unlock his potential, and they might be right. Meanwhile, the Rockets would get the steady, more efficient production that we all crave from the position in Reaves. If we took on Kleber and Vincent, that would be $20M coming off the books to facilitate extensions for Jabari and Tari. The Lakers can sign players with the MLE, but they also have several $10M contracts they can use as filler in trades, so they are simply a good bet to pull off any mid-level trade that gets tossed out there. And I could see them biting on the promise that Green still holds, especially if they are looking to compete now with LeBron and in the future with Luka.
You know Boston is going to have to make some changes this offseason - even if they win it all. I read recently that their after tax roster cost would be around $500m next year .... and they are a 2A team the last two years. The penalties will kick in if they don't get under and stay under the next 3 years. You'd think they would prefer to keep their top players - JT, Brown & Holiday. I don't think they resign any of their own FA's - maybe Horford to a vet min? They need to shed about $40m in total salary to get below the 2A and stay there with a full roster. Seems to me that Porzingis & Derrek White would be the obvious choices. You might get White for Jalen by routing him to a 3rd team and the 3rd team sending lower cost players to Boston. Or maybe they just trade Brown? We have no need for him, our forward minutes are already spread thin. Can't see them giving up Payton Pritchard .... he's on a value contract with 3 years left. There's only 1 team with any meaningful cap space this offseason - Brooklyn - They'd almost have to be involved in any trade where Boston doesn't take back any salary but they don't have much in the way of talent to send Boston. I'd make the PHX/Dallas picks off limits in a Green for White trade, maybe offer Jalen & the Rockets own 28 pick (top 5 protected). Porzingis, I have no interest in. White probably has several good years left in him and 4 years on his contract (last is a PO) for very similar $$$ to Jalen. IF I could get Ty Jerome in FA, I'd send Jalen to Brooklyn for a pick that probably wouldn't convey just to get the contract off the books - IF they'd take the rehab project.
They were never drafting Mobley and then Sengun and Jabari. It would have been Mobley, someone else, and Ivey
Some potential trade targets: Jalen to Chicago for Coby White Jalen to Toronto for Immanuel Quickly Jalen to Charlotte for LeMelo Ball Jalen to Atlanta for Tre Young Jalen to Detroit for Jaden Ivey Jalen to Lakers for Austin Reeves
I think we might have to throw in a pick for Reaves... but I just might be willing to do that if I'm the FO.
