There's speculation Kobe instructed his agent to push for a trade between the Lakers and the Magic... I'm assuming its becuase he wants to play with Dwight... in that case what could the Magic offer if Dwight were untouchable? This saga is beginning to seem more and more real like a bad nightmare that isnt a nightmare at all but reality...
Jameer, S&T Hill, S&T Darko, some picks? I don't know what they'd have to offer, but a combo of Dwight and Kobe would be the sickness. I still would love a trade to Chicago, works well for both teams involved.
The Lakers won't trade Kobe to Orlando unless Dwight Howard is involved. They have no real solid pieces other than Dwight.
You're absolutely crazy if you think Orlando will even think about throwing Dwight in the deal. It's not a matter of what L.A. wants, either. IF they could, they'd probably trade Kobe for the number two pick plus fillers, but Kobe would never approve that. The Lakers have no leverage here. The leverage belongs to Kobe and the teams in pursuit of him.
I don't blame Kobe for wanting to join the Orlando Magic, but a third team would have to get involved for the Lakers to get any value back or Orlando has to use their cap space to sign a big name free agent. Rashard Lewis (Sign&Trade) + Darko Milic (Sigh&Trade) + Carlos Arroyo (1 Year Deal) + Two 1st Round Picks (2008 & 2010) <u>Projected Lakers Lineup</u> PG - Farmar / Arroyo SG - Evans SF - Shard / Radman PF - Odom / Darko / Cook C - Bynum / Kwame / Turiaf I'd watch this team, they'd be exciting and the Lakers have tremendous flexibility with the roster. They could find a SG in free agency with the MLE or trade for one involving Luke Walton in a sign and trade.
Now if you talk about a team having to gut their roster for Kobe, the Magic would be it. The Magic are probably one of the toughest teams to trade with in regards to a big time superstar because the Magic don't really have any big contracts that they would be willing to trade. Their 2 largest contracts for next year will be Hedo Turkoglu and Tony Battie(each at 6 mil or less) Darko will be a big one if we do the deal and that will be estimated at 8-10 mil, but if we deal him since he's restricted I hear that his trade value is half of the contract that we would give him, which would hurt the Lakers because that would be 4-5 extra million that they are taking on if they are rebuilding. We do have $13 mil in salary, but resigning Darko to trade might be worse for the deal to get done. The Magic wouldn't be able to give the talent level that the Lakers want for Kobe, but they will be able to give enough cap space that the Lakers could pursue a big name FA the next offseason(Gilbert Arenas?). The best deal the Magic could likely offer is.... Darko(4-5 mil if you only count half of the salary for a RFA) Tony Battie(5.2 mil) Hedo Turkoglu(6.3 mil) Jameer Nelson(1.9 mil)-expiring Trevor Ariza(2.7 mil) or JJ Redick(2 mil) (I doubt we give up both) 5 mil in cap space 2 future 1sts for Kobe and about 3-4 mil in salary(preferably 2-3 players such as Sasha and Maurice Evans) If you are looking to rebuild more then we could give up Pat Garrity(3.8 expiring, but with a trade kicker that would up his value), Carlos Arroyo(4 mil expiring), and/or Keyon Dooling(3.6 mil expiring) instead of either Turkoglu and/or Battie's multi year contracts. The Magic would have to basically trade everyone that's worth a damn to get him and our lineup would look something like... PG-Arroyo/Diener SG-JJ/Kobe SF-Kobe/Ariza PF-Garrity? C-Dwight With no bench what so ever. As much as Kobe/Dwight intrigues me, I don't think I want to trade my entire team for Kobe, because I think we are 1-2 pieces and 1-2 years of experience away from contending right now and I think despite how good Kobe is we would be further away from competing with Dwight/Kobe and scrubs. Just a couple things about the offer that you guys proposed..... -The Magic wouldn't be able to sign and trade Shard if they sign and trade Darko, because they just don't have enough cap space to get them both. If the Sonics are part of a 3 team deal the trade could get done with the Lakers sending more to them(Because quite frankly the Magic wouldn't have anything less to send) -Grant Hill is going to sign with 1 of 4 teams for cheap (Orlando/Toronto/Detroit/Phoenix). If he leaves the Magic we likely won't get anything for him, because it would be tough to sign and trade someone who's making chump change. He wants to win a championship and wouldn't agree to be part of a sign and trade, unless Phoenix/Toronto/Detroit are involved in a 3/4 team trade. His new contract wouldn't be big enough to really impact the trade either. He doesn't really want to go to the Lakers if they aren't going to be contending. So in conclusion the Magic likely aren't a reliable trade partner because we just don't have any big contracts or enough talent that the Lakers would want. If the Lakers feel like rebuilding by getting a crap load of cap space then the Magic would be the team to deal with and Darko likely wouldn't benefit the Lakers to be involved.
<div class="quote_poster">lakerman34 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Lakers won't trade Kobe to Orlando unless Dwight Howard is involved. They have no real solid pieces other than Dwight.</div> Magic currently have close to $13 mil in salary for this season, close to $12 mil of players who are going to be expiring after next season and young talent like Darko(22 year old 7 footer that showed good potential against Detroit in the playoffs and still really hasn't had a chance to prove himself), Trevor Ariza(athletic young wing who has lock down defense and is a very good offensive rebounder), Jameer Nelson(better than any PG you currently have on your roster), JJ Redick(eh), Hedo Turkoglu(quality role player on a championship team, although you guys aren't really going to be headed to a championship), Tony Battie(great veteran leader would help Bynum out A LOT-his impact on Dwight has been extremely underrated). We have some intriguing pieces for a rebuilding team, but not really anywhere close to the talent that other teams would give up. If the Lakers feel like they could get someone like Gilbert Arenas in FA next season(he wants to play in California I heard) then you guys would have a pretty solid lineup of.... PG-Gilbert Arenas/Jameer Nelson SG-JJ Redick or Trevor Ariza and/or Hedo Turkoglu SF-Lamar Odom PF-Darko Milicic C-Andrew Bynum The best part about this lineup is a lot of these guys are going to be hitting their primes at around the same time with Ariza/Darko/Bynum. Darko will be a very solid player and he seems to complement Bynum's low post game very well(I really hope the Magic keep him, because he complements Dwight perfectly). Not to mention you would have loads of salary cap room with Odom's and Brown's contract off the books in 2 years and with all the cap space the Magic give you. Laker fans will have to use patience, because it will take a couple of years for them to develop, but that could actually be a pretty deadly lineup, especially if you consider getting a couple more 1sts and likely a lotto pick next year.
Just to clarify, doesn't Orlando own Darko's Bird Rights? If they do, they can actually sign both him and Shard, because you are allowed to go over the salary cap by re-signing your own players if you own their bird rights. Remember the NBA is a soft cap, not a hard cap like other sports. The drawback of going over the cap is the luxury tax you pay. The Magic would have to sign Shard first, and then sign Darko by going over the NBA Salary Cap.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Just to clarify, doesn't Orlando own Darko's Bird Rights? If they do, they can actually sign both him and Shard, because you are allowed to go over the salary cap by re-signing your own players if you own their bird rights. Remember the NBA is a soft cap, not a hard cap like other sports. The drawback of going over the cap is the luxury tax you pay. The Magic would have to sign Shard first, and then sign Darko by going over the NBA Salary Cap.</div> I don't believe it is possible to do that. I'm pretty sure that there is a rule in place to prevent teams from using their FA money on someone before resigning their own players or teams would do that all the time. I think the main thing is that Darko would then be a restricted FA and we lose his bird rights because we don't currently have him with a contract. I thought bird rights were mainly used in giving players an extension, not resigning them after their contract is complete. For example I believe the Magic will use Dwight's bird rights before the season starts to give him a max contract BEFORE his contract expires after next season. It could be possible for the Magic to sign Shard on July 1st or 2nd and then match a teams offer sheet for Darko later on in the month, but I don't believe that that really has anything to do with bird rights. I haven't really looked it to it that much yet. I'm not to sure if that is possible. You also have to remember that the Magic's owners are greedy and would hate to pay the luxury tax, so they will try to keep us with as little over the luxury tax as possible. We could possibly try to move Hedo or someone else for some more cap relief, but I don't know what teams would do that. Maybe we could work out a 2nd part of the deal that sends Kwame's 8 mil expiring to the Magic for Hedo and one of our expiring deals for next season.
No way, Orlando is in the same situation as NY Knicks are. Millions of you Laker fans already said that Kobe wants to WIN and Orlando is in the rebuilding mode. Knicks in my opinion are even better than Orlando at this point. And what can possible LA get from Orlando? Nelson and JJ lmao
<div class="quote_poster">LBJ2006MVP Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way, Orlando is in the same situation as NY Knicks are. Millions of you Laker fans already said that Kobe wants to WIN and Orlando is in the rebuilding mode. Knicks in my opinion are even better than Orlando at this point. And what can possible LA get from Orlando? Nelson and JJ lmao</div> Not even close.
<div class="quote_poster">GatorsowntheNCAA Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't believe it is possible to do that. I'm pretty sure that there is a rule in place to prevent teams from using their FA money on someone before resigning their own players or teams would do that all the time. I think the main thing is that Darko would then be a restricted FA and we lose his bird rights because we don't currently have him with a contract. I thought bird rights were mainly used in giving players an extension, not resigning them after their contract is complete. For example I believe the Magic will use Dwight's bird rights before the season starts to give him a max contract BEFORE his contract expires after next season. It could be possible for the Magic to sign Shard on July 1st or 2nd and then match a teams offer sheet for Darko later on in the month, but I don't believe that that really has anything to do with bird rights. I haven't really looked it to it that much yet. I'm not to sure if that is possible. You also have to remember that the Magic's owners are greedy and would hate to pay the luxury tax, so they will try to keep us with as little over the luxury tax as possible. We could possibly try to move Hedo or someone else for some more cap relief, but I don't know what teams would do that. Maybe we could work out a 2nd part of the deal that sends Kwame's 8 mil expiring to the Magic for Hedo and one of our expiring deals for next season.</div> I know it's possible, because teams have taken advantage of this loophole before. I'm just not sure what Darko's status is in regards to his Bird Right's. Typically you have to play with the same team for three seasons, but technically he hasn't played with any team for that long.
<div class="quote_poster">LBJ2006MVP Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way, Orlando is in the same situation as NY Knicks are. Millions of you Laker fans already said that Kobe wants to WIN and Orlando is in the rebuilding mode. Knicks in my opinion are even better than Orlando at this point. And what can possible LA get from Orlando? Nelson and JJ lmao</div> Orlando has potentially a top 3-4 player in the NBA(or at least top 3 big) as well as a bunch of young guys that can play. Not to mention the cap space that we would be able to provide the Lakers to go after FA. The Magic would be a WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better situation for Kobe then NY would. The only thing NY has over the Magic is that they have big contracts that can make the deal work and they are a much larger market, which the Magic don't have. Magic have enough capspace to make the deal work without matching salaries though. Orlando also made the playoffs last year with the worst coach in the NBA(our superstar Dwight avg 12 shots a game), while the Knicks didn't make the playoffs. btw, I would definitely make the deal that you proposed shape. I wouldn't be for trading Ariza/JJ/Jameer all in the same deal with Darko. Magic basically would have a lineup of.... PG-Jameer SG-Kobe SF-Ariza PF-Battie/Gortat/FA C-Dwight
<div class="quote_poster">GatorsowntheNCAA Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> Magic basically would have a lineup of.... PG-Jameer SG-Kobe SF-Ariza PF-Battie/Gortat/FA C-Dwight</div> That line up looks deadly in the east. But, I think we can get a better deal with Chicago. Also, did Chicago or Orlando show any intrest in Kobe yet?
<div class="quote_poster">LBJ2006MVP Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way, Orlando is in the same situation as NY Knicks are. Millions of you Laker fans already said that Kobe wants to WIN and Orlando is in the rebuilding mode. Knicks in my opinion are even better than Orlando at this point. And what can possible LA get from Orlando? Nelson and JJ lmao</div> The Lakers could potentially acquire Rashard Lewis + Darko Milic + Draft Picks + Arroyo (expiring K) This is a better package than the Knicks could put together for Kobe.
<div class="quote_poster">The Legend Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">That line up looks deadly in the east. But, I think we can get a better deal with Chicago. Also, did Chicago or Orlando show any intrest in Kobe yet?</div> Ric Bucher confirmed Chicago has a high interest in acquiring Kobe Bryant and are working on a package to land him.
<div class="quote_poster">The Legend Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">That line up looks deadly in the east. But, I think we can get a better deal with Chicago. Also, did Chicago or Orlando show any intrest in Kobe yet?</div> I'm trying to decide what lineup would be deadlier.... PG-Jameer SG-Kobe SF-Ariza/Turkoglu PF-Battie/Gortat C-Dwight or PG-Jameer SG-JJ/Ariza/Turkoglu SF-Shard PF-Darko C-Dwight The 2nd lineup there are no holes in the lineup at all and Darko/Dwight has the potential to be a top notch big duo. I also read that when Kobe made his original demand that Otis Smith said he would call LA and gauge the interest in Kobe to Orlando and the interest of the Lakers to any Magic player not named Dwight. Dwight for Kobe straight up would be a really dumb trade for the Magic, not to mention the Magic would have to find a way to put in 13-15 mil more to get contracts to match.. ----- btw, I doubt the Magic would sign Rashard Lewis and then trade him to a team that would be worse off then them a month later. They reward loyalty and Shard decided to come and sign here I doubt they would trade him already.
<div class="quote_poster">GatorsowntheNCAA Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> ----- btw, I doubt the Magic would sign Rashard Lewis and then trade him to a team that would be worse off then them a month later. They reward loyalty and Shard decided to come and sign here I doubt they would trade him already.</div> I'm sure they would have it worked out with Shard prior to signing him.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I'm sure they would have it worked out with Shard prior to signing him.</div> Lewis didn't sign some kind of papers to become a FA thats what i'm hearing "Report: Procedural Error May Cost Sonics' Lewis Free Agency"...and why would he screw Sonics when they can do the same thing sign and trade, give them someone good to play with Durant. Come on use some logic. Sonics can sign and trade him to the Lakers if he wants to play there, and get something in return.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">As much as Kobe/Dwight intrigues me, I don't think I want to trade my entire team for Kobe, because I think we are 1-2 pieces and 1-2 years of experience away from contending right now and I think despite how good Kobe is we would be further away from competing with Dwight/Kobe and scrubs. </div> dwight kobe and scrubs could get you out the east though, and possibly give you a title.....I'm still not 100% sold that Dwight will ever be that dominant force that we all want him to be, if you're Orlando you try to make this happen if possible.
