More minutes, more money: Can the Lakers re-sign Ariza?

[pad300]

If Lamar is going to sign for MLE - LA will keep him.

But there are ways to clear up salary. I expect Farmar will be moved for a draft pick or combined with Morrison for lesser 2010 ending salary. Sasha likely also will be available.

LA will continue to trim the fat off the roster.

I don't think Lamar is going to want to sign for the MLE, I just think that is what he is going to be left with...

As far as the Lakers making room, they are going to have to work at it. Moving any of Sasha, Morrison or Farmar will require trade bait to make it work. All are average players (or worse) players, and Sasha and Morrison's contracts are bad. I don't know that moving them is going to be easy. Especially because nobody is going to want to help LAL out... Good luck with trimming that fat. You don't have that many trade chips - you have to keep this years pick, have already traded next years (Gasol)...

[Mel_13]

I don't think Lamar is going to want to sign for the MLE, I just think that is what he is going to be left with...

As far as the Lakers making room, they are going to have to work at it. Moving any of Sasha, Morrison or Farmar will require trade bait to make it work. All are average players (or worse) players, and Sasha and Morrison's contracts are bad. I don't know that moving them is going to be easy. Especially because nobody is going to want to help LAL out... Good luck with trimming that fat. You don't have that many trade chips - you have to keep this years pick, have already traded next years (Gasol)...

Two very good points that will apply to players and teams this summer. Players like Marion, Odom, and Iverson will likely have to take huge pay cuts. And teams that want to move contracts off their books will have to throw in a lot more than 500K or a future 2nd round pick.

Those teams (Memphis, Detroit, OKC and Portland) with significant cap space will be in a particularly strong position this summer. They will likely be able to get quality players at a discount or demand first round picks and good young talent to take bad contracts from other teams. Or both.

[2Cleva]

Farmar (1.9) and Morrison (5.2) are last year contracts. How are they bad?

Farmar does have value throughout the league. Many believe the tri is just a bad fit for him. A team like NY or anyone who wants 2010 cap space but needs a PG would be very interested in Farmar. Sasha has 2 years left at 5.2 per - not impossible but tougher to move.

LA will dump at least 1 of the 3 I'm sure of it.

[Agloco]

ariza and its not even close

+1

It's a matter of getting the right man in the middle with Duncan. Gooden is a good man coming of the bench or some punch, but as a starter he's got too many liabilities.

[Mel_13]

Farmar (1.9) and Morrison (5.2) are last year contracts. How are they bad?

Farmar does have value throughout the league. Many believe the tri is just a bad fit for him. A team like NY or anyone who wants 2010 cap space but needs a PG would be very interested in Farmar. Sasha has 2 years left at 5.2 per - not impossible but tougher to move.

LA will dump at least 1 of the 3 I'm sure of it.

If the question was to me, let me clarify. I believe, as a general rule, teams around the league will have to pay a premium in order to get other teams to help them lower payroll.

In the specific examples of Farmar, Sasha, and Morrison...I believe they would certainly be able to essentially give Farmar away in exchange for a trade exception or a future second rounder.

I could see Sasha moving in a relatively equal trade to a team that needs a shooter in exchange for a slightly smaller contract in return.

IMO, Morrison will be hard to move unless the Lakers can really sweeten the pot. You can't really get much in savings by trading him to a team trying to clear 2010 space since you would have to take back a similar amount in longer deals.

Its the same for Spurs, finding partners for their expiring contracts may be easy if you're looking to get back expensive talent from desperate teams (Richard Jefferson, Vince Carter, etc). It won't be as easy, IMO, to move these expiring deals in order to lower payroll.

[TheSpursFNRule]

I heard Tayshaun Prince is no longer untouchable. Maybe?

[pad300]

Farmar (1.9) and Morrison (5.2) are last year contracts. How are they bad?

Farmar does have value throughout the league. Many believe the tri is just a bad fit for him. A team like NY or anyone who wants 2010 cap space but needs a PG would be very interested in Farmar. Sasha has 2 years left at 5.2 per - not impossible but tougher to move.

LA will dump at least 1 of the 3 I'm sure of it.

Morrison is an MLE level contract for a sack of crap... Thats how bad he is. He's an SG who can't defend for , and has a career FG% of .373. It's gone down since he entered the league...

Farmar has been with the Lakers for 3 years of development. He never starts (2 games over his career to date), with a Fischer (34 and posting a 12.1 PER) keeping him on the bench. His PER (9.9), shooting %'s, rebound rates and assist percentages are all career lows this year. He's Jaques Vaughn bad. That is to say he's a 3ed pg level player, and he's got nothing resembling Vaughn's locker room value (as a semi-coach and a personality). He might be dumpable (although you won't get squat back), but his salary is only 2 Million. He doesn't offer you enough saving to put up 2 MLE contracts and stay within that $100 Million envelope you proposed...

Sasha's contract goes past the 2010 free agent apocalypse that so many teams are freaking about. Also, he's an MLE level contract who's career PER is 11.6, and has dropped of hugely (15.1 to 12.6) after his contract year. I'll also note that youve played 2 blowouts, and he's gotten 27 minutes in the playoffs this year, posting a -3.2 PER and a 0% EFG... I don't want that anywhere near my team...

LA may manage to dump one of them, but they will have to work to do so.

[xtremesteven33]

Right now:


Tayshaun > Ariza

[TheSpursFNRule]

My gut feeling tells me that LA would never ever let a dude like Ariza walk to the Spurs. He is important to there team and Lamar will either leave or take a pay cut most likely the latter. Ariza is great, but I suppose our best options this off season are to either sign Rasheed and let Gooden go. Or sign Gooden, and somehow work out a trade for RJ, VC or Corey Maggette....because we all know the Bucks, Nets and Warriors are in desperation mode for shedding salary, there teams are going nowhere and can't afford players like that. I just really hope we get an athletic wingman its so ing needed.

[Thomas82]

One other option for us is to try to draft Danny Green this summer, and groom him. I like the idea of Tayshaun Prince, but the Spurs don't have enough to trade for him.