Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins talk about the future of the Lakers. There is a time and a place for it. Brian Windhorst and a team of Insiders sort out life and the news from around the world of basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers are winless, have roster construction issues, and eventually will have to make a trade, but it's not likely to involve Russell. The next big move the Lakers make is likely to test their discipline, so let's look at where they can go from here. Do you really want to test it? The fate of the two remaining seasons of the Los Angeles Lakers could be decided by this. The Lakers could have all of them plus P.J. Tucker, who will make $10.5 million this season, if they win the title. Let's move on, apologies, couldn't be help. Like most people in his job, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is cautious when speaking to the media and layers on clichés, platitudes and parables. He allowed himself to speak a few lines of unvarnished truth before the start of the 2022-23 season. Closer attention should be paid when a GM says something. "Lebron James is one of the best players to ever play for us." He committed to us for three years. Pelinka said that they will do everything they can, picks included, to make deals that give them a chance to help the team. He said that if you make a trade with multiple picks, it needs to be the right one. There's one chance to do it. We want to make sure that we use draft capital in a way that improves our roster. This was a rare gem of a statement that didn't directly answer a question, and Pelinka brought it up himself. It is a contradiction. It's a challenge to maximize the James age 38 season and be careful about using the Lakers' draft picks in trades. It has been a challenge thus far. It's a big ask for any front office to hit both of those goals. There is a good chance that the Lakers would get advice like this if they hired an emotionless consulting firm. The Hoop Collective's Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps draft the 10 teams they think will have the most regular-season wins. This season, we will track their progress. Celtics (3), Clippers (2), Suns (2), Wolves (2), Hawks (2), Pelicans (2), Kings (1) and Pacers (1) are listed. Warriors, Nets, Nets, Warriors, Pacers, Bulls, Hornets, Jazz, and Thunder are listed. 76ers, Nuggets, Heat, Raptors, Mavericks, Knicks, Wizards, Pistons, Magic and Spurs are included in the list. The number of wins and totals are shown. The Lakers can leverage this historic desire of players to come to L.A. via free agency or trade if they focus on the summer of 2023. This is the cheapest and fastest way to make a turn around. It might be possible to allow his salary to fall off the books. The team is not allowed to trade its first-round pick now, but can do so on draft night. The Lakers' future draft capital could be saved if they waited to consider major deals until the summer. They could trade three firsts if they wanted to upgrade their targets. If you want to engage the fans in the pursuit of James becoming the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, you need to invest a lot of time and money into it. Refer to the Kobe Bryant retirement tour. The Lakers would not be well-received by a large portion of their fan base if they took this path. Even if the Lakers' batting average on roster moves has taken a dive recently, it is still logical. Pelinka's comments made it seem like the team would mortgage its future if they agreed to an extension with James. One way to look at it is that way. James was giving the team a gift of time, so he wouldn't have to worry about his contract status in the middle of the season. Pelinka was given a contract extension by the Lakers before the season so they wouldn't have to make a trade to save him. Buss was aware that this wasn't likely to be a season to remember and that the tools to address it were in short supply.
Nets-Bucks, 7:30 p.m.
Lakers-Nuggets, 10 p.m.
Wednesday
Friday
Pacers-Wizards, 7:30 p.m.
Pelicans-Suns, 10 p.m.
It's all times Eastern.
Will the Lakers be able to wait for the big trade offer? Is it possible for them to swallow the bad shooting nights, the social media mockery, the media criticism and even the frustrated James jab to stick with the stated plan?
There could be a stopgap move here or there, a small deal that won't wreck next year's cap space or a trade of those valued firsts for marginal improvement.
Pelinka is still looking for the big one. The Lakers have offered two, three and four-team trade packages throughout the summer and fall, grasping at the panacea that brings in two or three difference-makers in one swoop.
It has yet to happen. With a loaded upcoming draft class and more teams hoping to contend than there are contention spots, the landscape has a chance.
One is not desperate when one has James and Anthony Davis under contract, a huge well-heeled fan base and the draw of Southern California. The Lakers should not make a big deal out of it.
Yes, right?
This is a dime from Scottie Barnes.
Bobby Marks is an NBA front office Insider.
Taxes, death and the Raptors starters playing 35+ minutes each night are guaranteed.
In a league where coaches experiment with different lineups in the beginning of the season, Raptors coach Nick Nurse doesn't follow that logic.
The Raptors have played at least 35 minutes in each of the first three games, despite the fact that Scottie Barnes played only 32 minutes in the opener against Cleveland.
The Raptors lost in Miami on Saturday, an example of Nurse's commitment to his starters. Nurse did not pull the plug on his starting unit on the second night of a back to back and down 21 at the half. They lost 112-109 in the fourth quarter. Without Barnes, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., and other players played at least 39 minutes. The forward was in foul trouble and only played 33 minutes.
Is that trend going to keep going? The Raptors had been without two key reserves. The heavy workload for Barnes and Anunoby should be lessened when both players are fully healthy. VanVleet and Siakam were in the top five in minutes played, along with Anunoby, Barnes, and Trent Jr.
In the past three seasons, VanVleet has averaged 36.8 minutes per game and has missed 55 games because of various injuries.
Back to Brian Windhorst on a Heat player.
The biggest troll in the NBA might be Miami's JimmyButler. He baited people into getting upset. Let's ignore the bad times and focus on the funnier ones.
The founder of Big Face Coffee admitted that he started the company because he was trying to get other players to give him money. He had a high-end espresso machine in his room, but he was limited in where he could use it. His plan to charge $100 as in "big face" Ben Franklin failed.
He hit a new level when he came to media day with extensions in his hair and shaved face. Look at this picture. He knew the pictures would be used in promotional materials for the rest of the season.
Within an hour of media day's photo sessions ending, he cut his hair. The troll grows every time a national TV ad for the Heat is shown.
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