"The Lakers will have a first-round pick in 2023 but can’t trade it; the first one they can put in a deal is not until 2027." What is not mentioned here is that in 2023 the Pelicans have the right to swap picks with the Lakers. LOL.
Yeah the Lakers are screwed. If I was running them I'd trade Davis and Bron. Sucks for them they don't have their own draft picks though, if they could find a way for NO to give back some picks in the trade or as a 3rd team that could make sense. A haul for Davis and Bron could be pretty good. Although I expect they will not do that, instead go with some band aid fixes that fail, and then explore trading both of them during next season.
I don't see any chance LeBron request a trade now; he'd rather stay in LA with his house, business, family, etc for the whole summer. Then stay for training camp and the start of the season. If it is still a mess at that time; ask for a trade mid season and he only has to get a hotel a few months in wherever other city. A 38 year old LeBron with multiple rings and established family is very different than a mid 20's player desperate for a title. Although if the Lakers decide its in their interest to move on and trade LeBron he might be fine with it. Especially if it is someone he has a good friendship and respect for like Dame. But I don't see how the Lakers would go do that now, and then try to sell tickets to celebrities for the chance to watch Nassir Little.
The Lakers 2022 draft pick. The pelicans got this unprotected from the Anthony Davis trade. They traded it top 10 protected to the Memphis grizzlies in the Jonas Valanciunas trade. If the pick ends up in the top 10, New Orleans keeps the pick and Memphis gets Cleveland's 2022 2nd round pick and New Orleans' 2025 2nd round pick.
I don't think there was anything about a promised land. The Lakers were just the next team to add to Melo's legacy.
Yep. Highly ironic to see Blazer fans mocking the Lakers. They may be down now, but they usually figure a way out of it. Portland, on the other hand, never does.
No, but a new team likely want him to be accepting of the deal to give the Lakers the picks, etc back they'd want.
Here is the whole trade, which happened just before the 2021 draft: Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe to the Memphis Grizzlies for center Jonas Valanciunas. New Orleans swapped their 10th pick in the 2021 draft for Memphis's 17th pick. (edit: Memphis took Ziaire Williams at 10, and New Orleans took Trey Murphy at 17). New Orleans swapped their #40 pick in the 2021 draft for Memphis's #51 pick. And the mentioned top-10 protected 2022 first-round pick from the Lakers. Here is a comment on bealestreetbears.com about that Lakers pick (seems to be from September): "In a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis traded for the possibility of getting the Lakers’ 2022 first-round pick. What’s the caveat, you ask? If the pick lands anywhere in the top ten, this pick will go to New Orleans. To put it even more simply, the Grizzlies will get this pick." Not!
