$30 million in cap space this offseason to start with. Next year they'll have Kobe, Julius Randle, Swaggy P, and a top 5 draft pick to work with.
Nobody wants to play with Kobe. I remember last year laker fans were sooo sure they were either going to get lebron or melo or both LOL their biggest grab of the offseason was Lin
This. Kobe retires before he joins another team. I heard Kobe was actually starting his own media company/film studio so clearly staying in LA is what he wants. His business interests are in LA. I find it interesting last year MJ and Kobe had dinner as well. All these extremely competitive players seem to get along with one another despite having what seems to be few people they're friends with. But they all can get along with each other off the court.
And another likely trip to the lottery whether they get Rondo or not. Their game's don't mesh well, and that's ignoring the health concerns for both Rondo and Kobe. And the Lakers may not end up being bad enough to get their top 5 pick. As bad as their current record is, they have played a lot of playoff teams. Their losses are to Houston, Phoenix twice, Clippers, Golden State twice, Memphis twice, New Orleans, San Antonio, Dallas, Denver, Minnesota and Denver. Still lots of bad teams in the east that could keep them out of the bottom 5. In fact they are at the 6th worst record right now.
Rondo would only have to endure one season of Kobe on the books. Kobe could be recruiting him for the sake of the Lakers future, not just his own. I don't think Rondo would mind being the centerpiece of the Laker's future, especially one that would have them with enough cap space to sign 2 po I think at some point this season that Lakers roster could trade away a few players. Someone like Ed Davis or Jordan Hill has a tradable contract and enough value to a playoff team who may get an injury or needs needs to bulk up inside for a run to warrant a late 1st round pick for instance.
Ah shoot I was going to say Lakers in theory could sign after Kobe is off the books 2 max players, that and the LA lifestyle certainly would be appealing to players. Kobe won't be there forever.
Boston might as well trade Rondo for Nash + Rockets pick + a 2nd. If he is going to LA anyway, then nobody is going to give them anything of value, chance for them to make a move now and get at least something in return. Of course, if LA know Rondo is coming, why would they give up anything of value?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rondo said he and Kobe were "just two assholes having breakfast."</p>— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaxterHolmes/status/541078056698650624">December 6, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
If doesn't think he can be a contender with Kobe, then Kobe isn't much of a factor as a positive recruitment tool. He would have to endure one and a half seasons of Kobe if he was traded now. If he doesn't mind being the center of a rebuilding team then he can stay with the Celtics who are better than the Lakers and it's easier to make them into a playoff team in the east. Plus they can offer him more money and he already has a storied history there. I wouldn't want to go thru rebuilding with any team with Rondo as the foundation. He is an *******, which can't help with recruiting other players. He is a ball dominator who can't shoot, and he is shooting 16% less than Dwight from the free throw line this season. Then you have his recent history of injuries on top of that. Adding Rondo to a contender could work, but most contenders are already set at point guard, or have a ball dominant wing. Because of his lack of shooting and ball dominance he wouldn't be a great fit in Houston. Dallas might be the best spot to contend this year that might work. Sacramento, New Orleans, and Miami might be the only other fringe playoff teams who would consider Rondo an upgrade for their system. But it sounds like Boston wants a first round pick plus assets and I don't think any of those three would become real contenders with Rondo this year even if they didn't give up any rotation pieces. After that there are some other teams that are basically on the same level or lower than the Celtics, like the Lakers, Knicks, Detroit, ect.
Good discussion guys. Solid angles of both sides. Appreciate the discussion. I agree with moestavern19 regarding Kobe not willing to repeat what Karla did. I don't believe that either. He will never leave LA.
I remember when Lakers fans got excited when Dwight went to LA but look what happened at the end of the season and how desperate the Lakers were with the signs.
