Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
I think you're being ridiculously generous to LA.
Do they have real better odds than anyone else to win the championship next year? Not really. They have good odds, but are they really more likely to win than, say Toronto, if they keep Kawhi? Or Milwaukee, if they retain their guys? Sure, those guys might not stay on those teams, you might argue, but LA has literally nobody after LBJ and AD, and they may not be able to sign anyone else of serious quality either.
You say they still have another max slot. Not really. They might, if Griff agrees to move the execution date of this deal, but the entire reason this has been a big deal is because if it stays as it currently is, LA does NOT have another max slot this summer.
You're essentially arguing that the Brooklyn Nets won the Celtics deal, because who cares about picks and swaps when you've got SuPeRsTaRs! Ignore the fact that you have little to no depth behind them, ignore the fact that one of your superstars is about to turn 35 and is already visibly declining on D, ignore the fact that the other star you have has a long record of NOT leading teams to the playoffs.
If I'm looking at next season only, then sure, I'd rather be the Lakers.
If I'm looking at the next 5, 6, 7 years, I'd MUCH rather be us.
Essentially, LA are betting that in three or four years time, they'll still be a better team than us. Lebron will be damn near 40. They have no guarantee of a star this summer, and no stars available next summer. Come on.