Well had the Pelicans forced them to take Hill this trade is way different. Instead the Pelicans left LA with plenty of cap space for a third star or solid role players. The Pelicans set up LA to be really good, and the only way those picks and “swaps” are worth anything is if LA sucks. Another note is AD isnt even in his prime yet, so all those picks will be in his prime or on the tail end of it. New Orleans got a “a lot” of stuff, but Im not sure they got a lot of quality or value with that stuff. Lets also remember Zion hasnt played a single game yet, if he’s bad well that sucks, if he’s good and the Pelicans cant build a roster he’ll want to leave too...
The 2021 pick is protected the other way around too. Pelicans get it if it’s top 8. If it’s not it moves to 2022 unprotected. Then they basically won everything Lakers get.
They got control over Lakers picks until 2025 instead of Kuzma. That’s easily a better deal. They were never ever getting a better deal than this. People are going to look at this in 2-3 years and be amazed at the value they got back for an expiring player who wanted to go to just 2-3 destinations.
‘Terrible’ it is not for sure. I don’t get how Brandon Ingram is considered a bad player either. To be honest I think last season he showed more promise than Tatum, and he is only 21 with plenty of room to grow. He’s also medically fine, apparently. Wouldn’t expect them to make that deal if he weren’t. Post All-Star break last season he was having a true breakthrough run, he was absolutely fantastic out there and if he can carry this into next season he could be a huge one for Pelicans. Having control over all Lakers picks bar one for the next 7 years is great too. Lakers will be good this season and next. It doesn’t matter because 2020 pick is not involved and Pelicans only take 2021 if it’s top 8. Then LeBron expires and turns 37, Davis is signed for a crazy amount of money and Kemba/Butler are well into decline while still having two years left, and they have no young talent anymore and won’t have any. I don’t think that Lakers outlook past 2021 is that great and people are sleeping on the value of those picks. They could very well get 4 lottery picks between 2022 and 2025.
Disagree. They had other suitors. Kuzma's a proven NBA starter who can score in bunches. I'd have demanded him instead of Ball. The draft picks need not have been excluded, either way. IF the Lakers do hit this right, the first round picks the Pelicans got are glorified second rounders, bottom of the 20s. What good is controlling that?
Ingram's not a terrible player, but he's a major health risk who has yet to show himself to be the talent he was hyped to be.
Not really the same from what I have heard. Different location which apparently makes it much less risky.
Who were other suitors? Boston wanted him but were not going to offer Tatum, and everything they have beyond Tatum has much less value than what they got. Knicks assets were crap too. The no. 3 pick this year has some value but is one spot over what Pelicans got as a sweetener in this deal and Barrett is far from a sure thing either. I know this board thinks that CJ has way more value than everything Lakers have put together but he really hasn’t, and we were probably never serious about offering him either. Clippers assets weren’t that great compared to this either. Miami pick might good and it might not, here they at least know they get one no. 4. Shai is good but he’s the same tier as Lonzo and Ingram. Nets offer wouldn’t be better than this either. So basically, no chance in hell they were getting a better offer than this.
If Nets did their thing right, those picks would have been bad as well. It’s a similar situation, they are counting on being good for the next 5-6 years but disregard the fact that LeBron’s window is maybe the next 2 seasons and whoever they get with that max slot will be the same. Will Kemba or Butler be great in 2021-22, at 32-33? I don’t think they will. And Lakers will have zero flexibility to add talent, through draft or free agency, for the considerable future. If they get one of those free agents then they are capped out until LeBron is gone and even then they will not have a max slot. I really, really doubt they will be a good team in 2022 and beyond. And still, by that time people will look at Ingram, Ball and the rest of assets Pelicans have already got as a great return. I wouldn’t be surprised if Pelicans got another gem in this draft either with that 4th pick or whatever they trade it for.
Boston was a definite. We don't know what all they were going to offer. There's still value on the Celtics at least as good as what the Lakers got, plus more immediate draft pick help. I think it's safe to presume there were other teams interested in AD. It was widely reported, and you mentioned a couple; Miami really had the assets to make a competitive offer, probably better. What those teams were willing to relinquish isn't known, but that doesn't keep a shrewd GM from using the possibility to up the ante from the favorite. There are plenty of examples of that. I think the Pelicans' self-imposed weekend deadline to complete the deal did them no favors, either.
I don’t think his medical issues are that bad from what I’ve read. And as I said he is super young. He has shown enough talent for me to consider him a good asset.
Boston apparently didn’t want to offer Tatum. I understand it because if you give Tatum you are left with AD and a bunch of rotation players honestly. And beyond Tatum what would they offer? Brown who is at best equal to Ingram and has less potential, Smart who doesn’t fit in that team anyway, a bunch of mid-first picks and future picks which are at best of the same value what they got here but knowing Ainge he was never going to give them as much control over future picks as Lakers have. It doesn’t matter there were other suitors when nobody would have given this much. What offer would Miami have made, I don’t get this. You prefer Bam Adebayo over Lonzo Ball and Josh Richardson over Brandon Ingram? Ingram, Ball, Hart are easily more enticing than Winslow, Adebayo and Richardson, and that’s not even getting into the fact that no. 4 pick is better than no. 12 and Miami couldn’t offer many future picks because they owe 2021 already (so anything before 2023 is out of question unless it’s pick swaps). And even from their point of view having just AD is stupid. Really, if you look at all the teams in the entire league nobody was giving them a better offer. In terms of picks nobody would have been dumb enough to match this. In terms of talents not many teams would have been prepared to offer two potential stars and a very good complimentary piece as well as a top 5 pick. I find it really baffling people consider this a bad deal. Ingram and Ball, even if they don’t work out, would still get you a top 10 pick in any of upcoming drafts if you wanted to flip them. You think Chicago or Phoenix wouldn’t happily hand their picks for Ball? They would without hesitation. Pelicans basically get a shot at a immediate reset and if it doesn’t work out they will be able to have another go at it because of who they got and future assets they hold. It’s a FANTASTIC deal which puts them in a truly awesome position going forward.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium was a guest on The Sedano Show recently and said near 4:00 mark: "Everyone around Ingram and people around the Lakers expect him to be fine. It’s nothing like Bosh’s leg, it was more upper-body underneath his armpit. There is optimism on every single side. He’s proved he’s very much part of the Lakers core if they want to move forward with him.” He went on to say they believe it to be an isolated incident.
The best Ingram looked, his team sucked. Post All star game this year he was playing good and they kept losing. He may be a fine player, but and this is my problem with it, its very possible Ingram is the best player they got out of all this so, whats Ingrams potential, MAYBE borderline all star in like 5-6 years. but thats a ways off still, those picks sound good but I still theres a very good chance all of them end up being in the 20’s, its not like Brooklyn / Boston where Boston traded guys (who were great) at the end of their career. AD is like 25 or 26? To be fair to the Pelicans this may have been the best deal left out there, because Rich Paul seemed to have done a very good job of chasing off other GM’s.
The question with Ball is not whether he can contribute, but if his contributions are worth the circus that comes with him. Personally, I see Ingram as more sizzle than steak - and doesn't he have the same medical condition that forced Bosh to retire?
Yeah but thing is, if it sucks and his father is making problems you can trade him next year for a high pick or a highly rated player and carry on. Teams will still want him because he has big potential.
Well the only player they could have got that I would have over Ingram is maybe Tatum, and not by that much either as he has his own issues. And Boston would be dumb to offer him because they’d be left with AD and a bunch of mid-tier players, and he would almost certainly leave next year. And getting Lonzo, no. 4, Hart and all those picks offsets the difference in quality here anyway.
