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Kevin Love is extremely overrated. And none of those moves even guarantee the Lakers make the playoffs.
Trade the 2014 first-round pick for a veteran (Kevin Love)
A young player may be the better investment, but a young prospect isn't likely to help propel the Lakers to contender status in Year 1. Equally, a top-five pick could be a valuable trade asset for teams with veteran stars looking for a new home.
Kevin Love can opt out of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves after next season. Given the Timberwolves (32-31) continue to struggle on the wrong side of the playoff bubble, Love may look to relocate after the 2014-15 season.
Do the Wolves just wait for him to leave or do they look to get compensation for their All-Star forward?
The Lakers would have to wait until they have cap room in July, but a verbal agreement can be reached on draft night with the Lakers picking for Minnesota.
Waive and stretch Steve Nash's contract
To continue their win-now plan, the Lakers would need to use the NBA's stretch provision on Nash, waiving him while reducing his salary to $3.2 million for the next three seasons.
While that would increase the Lakers' cap room this season, it would diminish their spending power slightly for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
Trading Nash would certainly be better. Perhaps the Lakers can find a team looking to shed a veteran on a long-term deal -- perhaps Jarrett Jack of the Cavaliers.
Assuming the Lakers don't find a trade partner, and in the name of winning quickly, Nash could be released.
Without Nash, the Lakers could have up to $13.4 million in cap space to add another player to join Bryant and Love.
Re-sign Pau Gasol or trade for Omer Asik
The Lakers can use their cap room to go after free agents like Luol Deng, Lance Stephenson and/or Kyle Lowry, but that new lineup would have a hard time winning if Love was the only impact big man.
A center should be the priority, and the Lakers already have a former All-Star in their fold in Pau Gasol.
This next step may depend heavily on Bryant's power of influence. Gasol is looking forward to free agency, where he can have a chance, once again, to compete for a le.
If Bryant and the Lakers can convince him to stay for at least a season, perhaps at $10 million, Gasol would give the franchise a dynamic, offensive frontcourt with Love.
An alternative to Gasol would be Omer Asik of the Houston Rockets. He might be the ideal fit next to Love, given his size and strength as a defender.[/QUOTE]
Re-sign Jodie Meeks, keep the inexpensive players
The Lakers have Jodie Meeks' early-bird rights after two seasons with the Lakers, which enables the team to sign him to a contract starting in the $5 million-$6 million range.
As a free agent, Meeks takes up just $2 million of the Lakers' cap room. The team can sign him to a larger deal after spending in free agency, assuming he is willing.
Use room exception on a veteran (preferably at point guard)
Kobe Bryant was upset that the Lakers traded Steve Blake at the deadline to the Golden State Warriors.
Blake has his family in Los Angeles and has said he's open to a return to the Lakers after his contract expires with the Warriors.
Once the Lakers have used their cap space, they'll attain additional spending capacity too with a $2.7-million room exception.
That might be enough to lure Blake back or add another veteran to the Lakers.
Is it a winner?
Should the Lakers trade their first-round draft pick, even for Love, when he might come as a free agent in 2015 on his own? Why not have both?
If the Lakers are truly in win-now mode, the future concerns fade away despite the long-term consequences.
A core of Bryant, Love and either Gasol or Asik, rounded out with Boozer, Blake, Meeks, Farmar, Bazemore, Johnson, Henry, Sacre, Kelly and Marshall would have potential.
Kevin Love is extremely overrated. And none of those moves even guarantee the Lakers make the playoffs.
why on earth would Pau sign with the Lakers?
Cuz he's a straight up ...just watch how Kobe mind s him
compared to whom...stfu anyone we look at you s say he's overrated
Lakers 1st round pick for Love
Never gonna happen...
I would love to see the Lakers trade away their lottery pick for KLove only to watch Love leave for another team like DHoward did. Why would Love stay there? Lakers would have a broken down Kobrick ready to retire, an old Gasol and no lottery pick player to develop. Klove would bolt to New York to team up with Phil Jackson, 'Melo and Rondo. All that money coming off the Knicks payroll next year lines up with KLove hitting the free agent market. Lets see...'Melo and Phil Jackson or Mike D'antoni and Jim Buss....KLove will be a Knick very soon.
Melo is a loserPERIOD
& Phil is on OJT, changing careers at 70.
Love and Asik as the stars on a "contending" team? lmao. I know times are tough, Kool, but you should probably give that crack pipe back to Lamar.
HA doing work, dropping truth bombs, and obliterating false hype.
Per par.
Nice represent, Poster of the Month.
Good chance bring Thibs too
Love scores and Asik defends.....Love is 10x the scorer that Dwight is....Love and Asik and Gasol would be good down low....that's a le team right there...
Gasol resign for 6-7 million for 1 yr...Love and Melo split 23 million and we're in bizness
I`d do this. Sota with Love aint going nowhere. Gasol + 1st for Love. Spaniard reunited with Parker/Randle/Wiggins as possible pick.Lakers 1st round pick for Love
Never gonna happen...
Correct me if wrong, but Lakers cant trade this pick
Yeah. Everybody taking discount except for Kirby
Yeah. Everybody taking discount except for Kirbyhey that's just the way it is....Kobe 3 peated once and two peated 4 times pretty imprssive he earned that cash
Love can't play D and Asik can't even make a layup
Kobe will make Asik better....and as for Love..they say a better offense is always beats a good defenseLove can't play D and Asik can't even make a layup
at least with Asik we get a defender... Gasol he can't defend and he can barely score now...Asik would cost us less..so if Gasol wants to stay it's 6-7 mill and that's all his sorry ass is worth and even that might be too much
The fact is Asik ain't scared of no one...he will kick a s ass...and Love is stud...never thought I'd say that about a white boy
The true measure of whether or not they should be Lakers is if I think they could kick my ass...and both Love and Asik could kick Kool's ass....but I ain't no easy clean so that would cost em...
Damn, Kool. I have to give you props. You normally suck but this is a well thought out basketball analysis.
bend over and I'll show you damn Kool...Damn, Kool. I have to give you props. You normally suck but this is a well thought out basketball analysis.
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