Lakers get #1 pick. Kevin Durant signs with the Lakers, tells them he wants to play with Harden and Westbrook again. Harden and Westbrook demand trades to the Lakers. Lakers trade #1 pick, Jordan Clarkson,Louis Williams to Houston for James Harden. Lakers trade D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle and Nick Young to the Thunder for Russell Westbrook.
There is no way we contend as a top 3 team in the next 2 seasons. No way. James Harden is gone in 2018. He's gone. Just waiting for his contract to run out. He WILL be a Laker in 2018. Guaranteed. It is known. Might as well get A HUGE return for him now. If you wait til he's expiring, you won't get diddly value. Lakers don't even need trade chips for Westbrook, bc they can just sign him straight up next season. Ask for it all. #1 pick, D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle.
Nobody expected MIN to get the #1 pick over LAL last season. But this year, it will either be LAL, BKN (and that pick will go to BOS), or PHI (3 worst records). I personally think it will go to LAL or BOS, the league will not give a known tanking team like PHI that #1 pick.
OR take advantage of a stupid Owner like Vivek in Sacramento and trade Harden for Boogie Cousins, their #1 and Ben McLemore. Harden will still leave Sacramento for LA too lol.
Well, i'm not saying we should not consider to trade Harden in the future, my idea is to keep him until you feel he's going to bolt and if the team is trash. In this case yeah, i can see Morey trade him, but not for a pick in a "meh" draft and a couple of chuckers like Williams (also overpaid) and Clarkson...
Ben Simmons is legit. He can play point forward next to Dwight. I don't care that this is a meh draft overall, were talking about the #1 overall pick, and it holds a future Hall of Famer in Ben Simmons. But, i like my trade with the Kings idea better. I love DeMarcus Cousins. He's got the fire and we've got the right organization to build around him.
This is what you assume, but you don't know 100%... As for Boogie, i like him, and i think he can still blossom in another franchise, but i would never trade Harden for him.
It's that kind of mentality that gets us stuck with no choice but to let Harden walk or accept some garbage like Ryan Kelly and a future 1st for Harden when he makes it known he wants to be a Laker.
Kevin Love has been traded for two 1st rounders while he was on last year of his contract...Kevin Love. Btw you want to trade Harden and keep Dwight to pair him with Simmons? Spoiler
Nah. I want Dwight gone. That means I know we are giving him the max. Because that's how the Rockets work. They will strike out on all FA's and panic and give Dwight what he wants to stay in Houston. It's inevitable. Durant is the only hope for Houston to keep Harden.
Lol dude, we're not paying Dwight, just chill...personally i think he's not even a Rocket next season...but hey, if he's ok in taking a (big) pay cut to win the title why not?
That's the only way i'd want him back. 16 a year at the most. He's a player that dominated with athleticism. That athletic ability is just about gone. He's also a mental midget with no hands and a liability on the free throw line. I'd give him 20 a year if the NBA eliminates HACK-A fouls.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I received a statement from Byron Scott through his agent on the Lakers firing him <a href="https://t.co/AxmIVpYj2y">pic.twitter.com/AxmIVpYj2y</a></p>— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkG_Medina/status/724777300705816576">April 26, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
