Announcing now might make it easier to land more FA's for the Lakers, but I think it will be harder to get a trade for any major player. Anyone really think that SA is going to send Kawhi to LA now to join with LeBron?
LeBron on the Lakers. Aww yeah. Suck it Cleveland.
Gaige your man crush hoping from one team to another.
Lakers should slow play it and just make sure they have cap space for next year when Kawhi, Klay, and other FA's will be available. If they can get Kawhi for a reasonable cost before then they'll do it. Unless there was some understanding with Lebron when he signed that they'd do whatever they could to trade for Kawhi, they shouldn't feel any pressure to force a trade right now. To win in this brutal west you need the stars and some depth.
Damn, now the Lakers stole Javale! I'll never understand Kerr's seeming dislike for him. I mean I get that he wants heady players out there, but McGee produced and made plays more often than not.
See I dont think slow playing Kawhi is a good way to go about doing things for the Lakers if they really want him. All we heard for two years was how much PG wanted to go to LA. Then he decides he likes playing in OKC and stays. There is a good possibility that Kawhi gets traded to the Sixers or celtics and the same thing happens.
So you either pony up now gutting your depth or you hope Kawhi doesn't have a change of heart. If they dont get Kawhi this year they don't have a real shot at beating gsw or Houston. If they wait it out and Kawhi doesn't come to la your're looking at Butler, Irving, Love, Klay, and Kemba Walker as your big 2019 free agents. Does getting one or maybe two of those guys put LA over GSW or Houston? Klay will probably stay on the warriors unless something drastic changes so realistically you're looking at the other four.
Nobody's trading anything meaningful to the Spurs for Kawhi unless they're already guaranteed he'll re-sign with them. I'm also assuming Lebron and Leonard already have an agreement as I doubt Lebron wants to spend his last few years as a bubble team in the West.