A lot of teams are going to have a lot of cap space this summer. He will undoubtedly sign a 20mil+ offer sheet somewhere else. Jrue can basically write his own cheque too.
What say you?
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A lot of teams are going to have a lot of cap space this summer. He will undoubtedly sign a 20mil+ offer sheet somewhere else. Jrue can basically write his own cheque too.
What say you?
JJ put it best. Lonzo can’t be passing up f’ing shots if he wants to take it to the next level. He isn’t good enough as a slasher and at least his shot is developing. When he slows the ball down and starts hesitating, everything crumbles in the half court. Will Lonzo’s shot improve enough to be worth the contract he will get? At some point, I think it will. I’m not sure it is now (or even close for that matter). I wish him the best because I think he will make it at some point.
This is why I'm so in favour of trying to get Lonzo moved for any real value. He's going to get offered a lot of money, and we would be very foolish to match it, so either we move him now or he walks for nothing.
That is, unless you think it likely that he takes a big enough leap between now and February to justify a $20m+ payday, which is a different discussion entirely.
Basketball.
Griff and staff know what he is asking for. If it is too high, they should be looking to move him before the deadline.
Players improve, but also...players get old and get shuffled out the league.
If you pay Zo...you?re paying him still for the potential of what he would be when the old guys retire and he?s finally a vet in the league staring at youngins smiling at the free throw line. He also now has an extra motivating tool in the league that keeps the carrot in front of his face and around the dinner table.
I?m just gonna sit back and watch this unfold.
If the team is not poised for a legitimate playoff run and absent a 'Ingram-like" transfiguration, he's gone by the trade deadline. Griff won't walk away without something in return
The question is how long you think that will take and how much time and money you'll have to waste before that happens. If you think Lonzo is one year away from being a super super impactful team player then obviously that changes your outlook on him. If you think, as many people do, that he's probably a few years and another team away from being that kind of guy, then you can't afford to pay him big money now. You can't hamstring your team by giving a $20m+ contract to someone in the hopes that they'll be an effective player in 3 years. By that point that contract is nearly over and you've paid 5 years of salary to someone without any return yet. The sunk cost is enormous for what is likely to be no better return than if you had just traded him early and tried to acquire someone who is actually good now.
Well, in my ideal situation Ball fixes all of his problems and stays for cheap, but assuming that we're going to move him it would obviously depend on who wants him and what the market is like. He expires after this year so trading is a bit difficult, especially the longer you leave it: if a team was planning to sign him in FA anyway, why would they give up assets to attain him just a few months earlier?
But just for the sake of argument, I'd take something like a top 5 protected first in this year's draft and nothing else pretty happily.
Personally I'd like to keep the players and chemistry we already have/continue to develop. I like ball when he's hot. And if he stays for less than 15 mill I'm golden.
Even if he walks, we still got a great haul in the AD trade, all things considered.
I think today is the deadline for signing your players to an extension. I think the two we have available are Ball and Hart. Do either want to sign an extension now, or do they want to test free agency? Do the Pelicans want to sign them to an extension? I would say yes for Hart, not sure for Ball.
Would make sense for Hart to have signed. Ball no chance
These guys know what the landscape is for FA next year. There was never a chance of a team friendly extension, based on everything I've heard. We'll see if anything changes today. Not sure what time the actual deadline is.
For Hart, he's coming off a year in which he shot under 35% from 3. If he can hit closer to 38-39%, he could basically double his value. That's why he hasn't signed
You have to remember that BI, Zo, and Hart have basically never had a normal offseason. This has been as close to normal as they have had since all were healthy and there wasn't a guy like Lebron entering the picture. If you look at it subjectively, from their perspective, its understandable that they all believe they can make a leap
He definitely runs hot/cold. I'm not sure he only runs hot 10% though. The problem with Ball is, when his shot's not falling he doesn't have any other ways to score. A guy his size, handle, and athleticism should be able to drive and either finish at the basket or force some fouls.
Also, Lonzo has never had the same coach two years in a row since High School....
15-16: Stephan Gilling (Chino Hills Bears)
16-17: Steve Alford (UCLA Bruins)
17-18: Luke Walton (Los Angeles Lakers)
18-19: Lebron James** (Los Angeles Lakers)
19-20: Alvin Gentry (New Orleans Pelicans)
20-21: Stan Van Gundy (New Orleans Pelicans)
** not on paper
I don't think many A-List NBA Players could endure annual coaching changes to this degree and come out unscathed. I think some of his inconsistency (not all) can be attributable to the Merry-Go-Round he's been on...that and an old man who has a propensity for playing with his children's heads.
So, after seeing what Kuzma and Kennard got in the way of extensions, it worries me about what Hart and Ball will demand.
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