Twitter Trade Rumor: Kemba to Lakers for Kuzma and Laker 1st Round Pick

[radiohead]

Lakers FO is not that dumb.

To be clear, if Lebron's super done with Kuzma then Kemba might wind up a Laker, and they could make the money work with Kuzma/KCP/a warm body, I just don't think they'd be giving up a first to take all that money. If anything they might get a second.

If Kemba is essentially worth 2 1st round picks (one from us and one from LAL), then Stevens absolutely blew the deal. At the very least, if we could have traded Kemba for Kuzma, whatever, and a 1st, we would then be a net positive with 1sts right now, rather than a net negative. And let's not pretend the #16 pick is some trash pick - it is likely to be the highest pick we have for the next several (or more) years.

To be clear, I can't imagine this will happen. It's possible OKC might find a taker for Kemba, but they absolutely shouldn't be getting yet another 1st unless they take on an even worse contract. I mean we had to take on a pretty trash contract and we still had to give up a 1st.

I think that was the point though. Stevens seemingly does not want to add more rookies this season after having so many inexperienced guys over the last couple of seasons

Plus I think Brad really liked to have Al back, specially if all the talk about “losing the locker” is true.

[RodyTur10]

Lakers FO is not that dumb.

To be clear, if Lebron's super done with Kuzma then Kemba might wind up a Laker, and they could make the money work with Kuzma/KCP/a warm body, I just don't think they'd be giving up a first to take all that money. If anything they might get a second.

If Kemba is essentially worth 2 1st round picks (one from us and one from LAL), then Stevens absolutely blew the deal. At the very least, if we could have traded Kemba for Kuzma, whatever, and a 1st, we would then be a net positive with 1sts right now, rather than a net negative. And let's not pretend the #16 pick is some trash pick - it is likely to be the highest pick we have for the next several (or more) years.

To be clear, I can't imagine this will happen. It's possible OKC might find a taker for Kemba, but they absolutely shouldn't be getting yet another 1st unless they take on an even worse contract. I mean we had to take on a pretty trash contract and we still had to give up a 1st.

I think that was the point though. Stevens seemingly does not want to add more rookies this season after having so many inexperienced guys over the last couple of seasons

Plus I think Brad really liked to have Al back, specially if all the talk about “losing the locker” is true.

I think so too. Brad chose his personal affection for Horford over business.
Whatever future deal OKC may make with Walker doesn't really matter.
Giving up a 16th pick to shred only $10M in salary is bad value.

And Horford is a good guy, but he can bring up issues as well. With the emphasis on size it's clear to me that the Celtics are trying to play as big as possible. With Theis it didn't work, but Horford is more skilled on the offensive end.

So the starting five will be Smart/Brown/Tatum/Horford/Timelord (with some bench combo of Pritchard/Fournier/Nesmith/Thompson or M.Brown). However if that would fail, what then? Would they bench Timelord and possibly upset him and potentially lose him for nothing? How would Horford deal with being relegated to a back-up center?

Getting (almost) a full TPE for Walker's contract and getting under the tax line again would have been justified value for giving up a mid-first draft pick. Despite Timelord's injury concerns I think we'd be better off with that 27M cleared off the books. It could be reminiscent of holding on to Rozier as an injury and future insurance for Irving. That decision massively backfired.

[Roy H.]

Giving up a 16th pick to shred only $10M in salary is bad value.

$10 million this year, and at least $11 million next year.  Perhaps as much as $24 million next season if we waive Horford.

It depends on how we use the additional flexibility, but clearing between $23 million and $34 million off our cap the next two seasons is worth a hit or miss prospect.

[Moranis]

Giving up a 16th pick to shred only $10M in salary is bad value.

$10 million this year, and at least $11 million next year.  Perhaps as much as $24 million next season if we waive Horford.

It depends on how we use the additional flexibility, but clearing between $23 million and $34 million off our cap the next two seasons is worth a hit or miss prospect.

If shedding that money is the difference between keeping Fournier and letting him go it was probably good value.  The team also got Brown, who at least showed some decent play in big enough minutes to get a real view.

[jambr380]

You guys have to be kidding, right? Kemba for Kuzma/KCP/1st is objectively better than Kemba/mid-1st for Al. If you take the first deal, you still save plenty of money off of Kemba's contract this season - which seems to be the main motivator for the deal anyway, since Kemba is a better player than Al.

Maybe Stevens did want Horford back, but the only way this deal works out financially is if we waive him after the season (as Roy outlined above). Paying 36 y.o. Al $27M isn't exactly ideal (but neither is paying a guy $14M not to play for you).

Listen, I am a fan of Stevens' move to the front office and don't think it was motivated by Wyc wanting to save money. But Stevens obviously would have blown his first move in his new role if there was actual value out there for Kemba. Oh, and please on the no more rookies thing. You don't give up two potential 1sts (your own and LAL's) for absolutely nothing. You at least trade them for future picks...even 2nds if you have to.

[nebist]

Why are people arguing over a fake Twitter account? There’s no way Kemba has that value.

[jambr380]

Why are people arguing over a fake Twitter account? There’s no way Kemba has that value.

I agree and said as much in my first post. I was just responding to people who would still justify our trade if the LAL/OKC one actually did go down.

[gift]

You guys have to be kidding, right? Kemba for Kuzma/KCP/1st is objectively better than Kemba/mid-1st for Al.

If something like this turns out to be true, then yes Stevens messed up big time. I'm not so sure it's true though.

[SparzWizard]

You guys have to be kidding, right? Kemba for Kuzma/KCP/1st is objectively better than Kemba/mid-1st for Al.

If something like this turns out to be true, then yes Stevens messed up big time. I'm not so sure it's true though.

Stevens should get fired for that. But alas, that's what some of us here also wished for when he was still a coach.

[Vermont Green]

Giving up a 16th pick to shred only $10M in salary is bad value.

$10 million this year, and at least $11 million next year.  Perhaps as much as $24 million next season if we waive Horford.

It depends on how we use the additional flexibility, but clearing between $23 million and $34 million off our cap the next two seasons is worth a hit or miss prospect.

Fake tweet, I know but we didn't just give up the 16th pick to shed some salary.  We traded the 16th pick for Moses Brown, a player who showed tremendous promise last season, plays a position of need for us, and is more ready to help a win now team than any one we could possibly get with the 16th pick.  To me, the 16th pick, Brown, all the seconds, that is all just net zero value, background noise.

We traded Walker for Horford, that is the meat of this trade.  Fair to debate the trade, especially if OKC is able to flip Kemba for something attractive, but at least debate it based on the entirety of the trade.