Trade Exception for Nash + #7

[pearljammer10]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

[Kane3387]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

Agreed. I'm not helping them get 17 and maybe more.

[LooseCannon]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

What if you would personally make a billion dollars by facilitating Melo/James to the Lakers?

[SparzWizard]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

Agreed. I'm not helping them get 17 and maybe more.

What do you mean? They have 11 championships remember?  Maybe even less if it weren't for that 2002 WCF series and 2010 Game 7 with that ridiculous 21-4 FT disparity in the 4th quarter........

[footey]

If making us better happens to help the Lakers, who cares?  Personally, don't think the chemistry of Lebron, Melo and Kobe will work. Plus Kobe's contract just kills the cap space.  By the time Kobe hits retirement, Melo will be on the back nine, and Lebron will be looking for his  next team to join.

[celticsfan8591]

I'd jump all over this but I don't see the Lakers agreeing it unless they're absolutely certain they can get Melo and LeBron.  That's a really horrible trade for them; they're giving up a really valuable asset to dump an expiring contract one year early. I'd happily facilitate this; do people really think LeBron, Melo, Kobe, and a bunch of role players is a championship team?  Their skills don't mesh at all; they all are perimeter players who are at their best with the ball in their hands and LeBron is the only plus defender of the three at this point. Plus, Kobe hasn't been able to stay healthy the past few years, turns 36 in a few months, and has a ton of miles on him.  He's probably done as a star player but is going to continue to act and be paid like he's the guy from five years ago.  That team has chemistry issues written all over it.  If we help the Lakers build this team we're basically ensuring that they'll be an aging, capped out, middle of the road playoff team for the next five years.  That sounds like a good plan to me.

[Geo123]

Then trade Rondo to Sacramento and Green and the 17th to Charlotte.

We'll have picks 6, 7, 8, and 9.

And we will be lottery bound for the next 5 years...

[Future Celtics Owner]

Then trade Rondo to Sacramento and Green and the 17th to Charlotte.

We'll have picks 6, 7, 8, and 9.

And we will be lottery bound for the next 5 years...

If we draft Smart, Randle, Embiid, That could be a big three for 10 plus years. With the 9th pick I would think about trading it. Or keeping Green

[freshinthehouse]

If we somehow ended up with 4 first rounders, drafting Saric should be part of the plan.  We've got to stagger these contracts somehow.

[RockinRyA]

If making us better happens to help the Lakers, who cares?  Personally, don't think the chemistry of Lebron, Melo and Kobe will work. Plus Kobe's contract just kills the cap space.  By the time Kobe hits retirement, Melo will be on the back nine, and Lebron will be looking for his  next team to join.

Plus they are in the west where anything can happen.

[crimson_stallion]

If the Lakers are serious about shedding salary to go after Melo + Lebron, they have to shed Nash quickly.  C's can absorb Nash's contract with the Trade exception:

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ovl97pt

Wouldn't Minny trade Love for 6,7 and 17?

If LAL say no, we can sweeten the deal with a future conditional pick, or even just use the exception to move from 17 to 7.  Maybe Minny would take 6+7 for Love, who knows?

The trade exception, which I believe is expiring soon, could be the Lakers best bet to unload Nash.  Seems to work for both sides to me.  What do you think?

If we could nab Love and only give up this year's draft picks, you almost certainly have to do it.

Why?

This team is not good enough right now to win anything of use, with or without Love, and none of our young players have potential to be anything more than a good starter.

I would respond with a big "hell no" to the though of giving up three picks (two being high lottery picks) in an absolutely loaded draft, in return for Kevin Love.  I'd only give up that much potential talent it it was bringing back the type of elite talent that could single handedly turn us in to a competitive playoff team overnight - Lebron, Durant, Melo, Dwight (mental issues aside, he was a beast in the playoffs.  Or a very young stud with massive upside (Anthony Davis, Pal George, Demarcus Cousins, etc).

Love is young but if you ask me I think he's already reached his ceiling, but IMO his potential to improve any further is limited...and his uber impressive numbers will come way back down to earth the instant he gets on to a more talented team - much like Chris Bosh, who dropped from a 24/12 guy to an 18/8 guy the instant he moved to Miami....and is now more like a 17/6 guy.     

[crimson_stallion]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

Don't worry, Lebron isn't leaving Miami. 

He's opted out of his contract so that he can re-sign for a reduced amount, leaving Miami with some more salary flexibility.  Wade and Bosh will do the same.  I'm confident of this. 

As much as Lebron was criticised for leaving Cleveland, he did stay there for quite a few years.  Over those years the Cavs management tried to put a winning team around him, but never gave him a good enough roster to win a title.  He left for Miami because he felt he had a better chance to win.  He's already won two titles in Miami and the Heat management have proven to him that they will do what they have to do to build him a team that can win a title.  He has the spotlight, he has two rings, he has the beaches, the glamour.  He has two all-star teammates.  Why leave all that?

Who really things Lebron and Melo would work in LA?  They essentially have no PG since Nash is about a billion years old, nobody yet has a clue how Kobe is going to recover after the injury, and having three ball-dominant guys (like Kobe+Melo+Lebron in the same lineup is a recipe for disaster.  So is the fact that those three guys would take up all of LA's cap space, leaving them with zero ability to sign a legit starting PG or C.

I'd be very shocked if Lebron goes to LA.

[knuckleballer]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

Don't worry, Lebron isn't leaving Miami. 

He's opted out of his contract so that he can re-sign for a reduced amount, leaving Miami with some more salary flexibility.  Wade and Bosh will do the same.  I'm confident of this. 

As much as Lebron was criticised for leaving Cleveland, he did stay there for quite a few years.  Over those years the Cavs management tried to put a winning team around him, but never gave him a good enough roster to win a title.  He left for Miami because he felt he had a better chance to win.  He's already won two titles in Miami and the Heat management have proven to him that they will do what they have to do to build him a team that can win a title.  He has the spotlight, he has two rings, he has the beaches, the glamour.  He has two all-star teammates.  Why leave all that?

Who really things Lebron and Melo would work in LA?  They essentially have no PG since Nash is about a billion years old, nobody yet has a clue how Kobe is going to recover after the injury, and having three ball-dominant guys (like Kobe+Melo+Lebron in the same lineup is a recipe for disaster.  So is the fact that those three guys would take up all of LA's cap space, leaving them with zero ability to sign a legit starting PG or C.

I'd be very shocked if Lebron goes to LA.

"I was informed this morning of [James'] intentions," Riley said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. "We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options."

Riley's quote indicates that Lebron opting out is not a coordinated effort between Lebron and the team.  The Heat won't be able to add any meaningful cap space unless Wade and Bosh take significant payouts which would not make financial sense for either player.  I think Lebron is on his way out.

LA is possible, but there would be a lot of moving parts and a dearth of role players and depth.  I expect Lebron to end up in Houston, Chicago, or Cleveland.

[gpap]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

I would.

If it gets Lebron and Melo out of the East, it means an easier path for the Celts to return to being the top team in the East.

And who's to say the Lakers would win a championship with Lebron and Melo.

They'd have to go through ALOT of really good teams.

Oh by the way, you make this deal with the Lakers, you have another chip to trade to Minny for Love in the no 7 pick.

[Future Celtics Owner]

I would do nothing to help the Lakers get Melo and James.

Don't worry, Lebron isn't leaving Miami. 

He's opted out of his contract so that he can re-sign for a reduced amount, leaving Miami with some more salary flexibility.  Wade and Bosh will do the same.  I'm confident of this. 

As much as Lebron was criticised for leaving Cleveland, he did stay there for quite a few years.  Over those years the Cavs management tried to put a winning team around him, but never gave him a good enough roster to win a title.  He left for Miami because he felt he had a better chance to win.  He's already won two titles in Miami and the Heat management have proven to him that they will do what they have to do to build him a team that can win a title.  He has the spotlight, he has two rings, he has the beaches, the glamour.  He has two all-star teammates.  Why leave all that?

Who really things Lebron and Melo would work in LA?  They essentially have no PG since Nash is about a billion years old, nobody yet has a clue how Kobe is going to recover after the injury, and having three ball-dominant guys (like Kobe+Melo+Lebron in the same lineup is a recipe for disaster.  So is the fact that those three guys would take up all of LA's cap space, leaving them with zero ability to sign a legit starting PG or C.

I'd be very shocked if Lebron goes to LA.

"I was informed this morning of [James'] intentions," Riley said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. "We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options."

Riley's quote indicates that Lebron opting out is not a coordinated effort between Lebron and the team.  The Heat won't be able to add any meaningful cap space unless Wade and Bosh take significant payouts which would not make financial sense for either player.  I think Lebron is on his way out.

LA is possible, but there would be a lot of moving parts and a dearth of role players and depth.  I expect Lebron to end up in Houston, Chicago, or Cleveland.

I would do everything to help them do this. Look at what happened with them a couple years ago with Howard and Nash and all the other liver spotted old folks. We are helping them get worse not better ALA Brooklyn. look at it that way