Magic Johnson patted himself on the back for being able to "dump" such a bad contract. Made subtle references to how bad of a deal Mitch Kupchak gave him. Every NBA "expert" with a podcast gave Magic high marks for the trade. The trade was Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance for I.T. and Channing Frye. When it became clear that I.T. and Channing Frye were dead money, Magic claimed he had to make the move to sign 2 Max FA's the upcoming summer....which he was unable to do anyway. Magic Johnson (and Rob Pelinka) gave away so much talent with no return, it is disgusting.
D'Angelo Russell & Mozgov for Brook Lopez and the draft pick that literally became Kyle Kuzma (but really was Josh Hart...long story) - There was no reason the Lakers needed to dump Mozgov with 3 years left on that terrible contract. They would have still been able to acquire a max player the following summer if DLo and Mozgov were kept. Josh Hart was nice asset and Lopez had a good year. The problem is D'Angelo quickly developed into an NBA All Star level player, and the Lakers did not resign Lopez for $3 Million when he gave them the option.
Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance for I.T. and Channing Frye - Clarkson and Nance are both bench players, but both had legitimate value. Clarkson was always a good scorer off the bench, then got put in one bad situation after another. As a rookie, he was 1st Team NBA All Rookie as a PG, then came back next year and was moved to SG because the team drafted Russell and it was the Kobe Bryant Farewell tour which was not good for any of our young guys. He came back the next year and was asked to take on the 6th man role, but was crowded by Lou Williams, etc. etc.
Thomas Bryant - allowed to walk for nothing by not picking up his team option for $1 Million. He is now 22 years old and a productive starting Center for Washington.
Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2nd Round Pick (2021) for Reggie Bullock - Reggie Bullock played for the Lakers for 3 months and was not good, nor did the Lakers make the playoffs.. Svi Mykhailiuk is still with the Pistons on a rookie minimum contract playing 22 MPG hitting 43% of his 3 point shots.
Ivaca Zubac and Michael Beasley for Mike Muscala - The first problem is the front office initially claimed they made this more as a Beasley salary dump, and it took Zubac to get it done. The problem was Beasley was on a 1 year deal, and could have simply been waived! Muscala played 17 games for the Lakers, was mostly injured and averaged 5.9 PPG. Zubac is 22 years old, 7' tall, and continues to play a productive role for the Clippers.
Julius Randle - allowed him to walk for nothing as a RFA and used the money to sign Rajon Rondo. Do I need to even say anything?
Anthony Davis for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, 2019 1st Round Pick (#4) , 2021 1st Round Pick, 2023 1st Round Pick Swap and a 2024 1st Round Pick to New Orleans; Moe Wagner, Isaac Bonga and 2nd Round Pick (2022) to Washington - Davis is clearly the best player in the trade, but Lebron and AD's Championship window is very short, and even if AD resigns which is likely, it will also be likely that it is a 2+1 to get to the 10 year mark. The Lakers will have to try to put a contender around him by then with little assets. At the same time, Ingram is 22 years old and already developed into an All Star, Lonzo Ball has been playing at a near All Star level the last couple months, while Josh Hart continues to be a solid all around bench player. In Washington, Bonga has shown some flashes of potential with great size and length, and just turned 20 year old....and Moe Wagner @ 22 years old has became a solid bench player putting up 11 & 6 a night. It will take time to determine who really won this trade, but if Lebron and AD do not win a championship, there is a high chance this was a very bad decision by the Lakers.
In less than 2 years, the Lakers dumped all of their youth which includes D'Angelo Russell (#2 Pick in 2016 & 2019 All Star), Brandon Ingram (#2 Pick in 2017 & 2020 All Star), Julius Randle (#7 Pick 2015), Josh Hart (1st Round Pick), Moe Wagner (1st Round Pick), Larry Nance (1st Round Pick), Jordan Clarkson, Thomas Bryant, Isaac Bonga and Ivaca Zubac....all still 25 years old or under with the exception of Clarkson and Nance who are 27 years old.....all of that for Anthony Davis and Rondo in the end.
Magic Johnson was the worst President of Basketball operations in the history of the NBA in regards to getting value in return for trades.
Last edited by adkindo; 02-10-2020 at 01:35 AM.
M2 (02-10-2020),Revering4Blue (02-12-2020)
Once you get tagged with that role/reputation in the NBA, it seems like it just sticks with you. Clarkson was always a starter for the Lakers, then Walton came in and wanted to show how smart he was and claimed Clarkson is a 6th man type (whatever that means), and that is what he will likely always be going forward.
Last edited by membengal; 02-10-2020 at 12:58 PM.
Well, that's what those words mean. He was here. If they don't keep him, he will have been lost/subtracted. I headed out the door today with two shoes on my feet. If I don't return with them, I have lost them. If I do return with them, I haven't added them. ---M2
Kingspoint (02-10-2020),M2 (02-10-2020),Revering4Blue (02-12-2020)
That Bogdanovic game winner cost me $83 on Draftkings......lol
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor!
Jordan Clarkson is a sieve on Defense. Makes Lou Williams look like Beverly.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
I love it when Clarkson is on the floor for the other team. It guarantees a complete breakdown of the defense of the other team while also guaranteeing absolutely no flow to the Offense of the other team. He's gauranteed to take too many shots and more often than not, he's not going to hit them. He wil continue to get traded again and again and again.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
I'm guessing if you put his offense and defense on a scale next to each other, his offensive contribution comes out ahead of his defensive shortcomings. There's some really wretched players starting at the guard positions these days, many who make Clarkson look like a lockdown defender. Clarkson produces. He'd get you 20+ per night if he started. I think the Jazz are serving as proof he can be a positive, productive player on a good team. I get why he's coming off the bench there, but the league is far from deep in reliable scoring guards. Somebody's going to pay him some money and have one less problem.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Last edited by M2; 02-10-2020 at 07:02 PM.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
dubc47834 (02-11-2020)
Oh, and here's a list of NBA players who might be UFAs this summer:
Anthony Davis - Though I expect the Lakers to keep him.
DeMar DeRozan - Definitely opting out and getting paid.
Andre Drummond - Don't know what the market is for pure beef, but he didn't seem happy about landing in Cleveland.
Hassan Whiteside - Also in the beef market.
Serge Ibaka - And the beef market gets beefier.
Danilo Gallinari - Shooting now rules the NBA. Teams will line up for him.
Derrick Favors - Cheaper beef.
Goran Dragic - When he's healthy, he's still pretty good.
Evan Fournier - Probably improved his future earnings more than anyone in the NBA so far this season.
Tristan Thompson - All this beef is why Drummond might not opt out. Why pay extra?
Bobby Portis - The Knicks still have too many PFs. Picking up his option would be nuts, so maybe they do that.
Marcus Morris - Combo forward who can shoot.
Jordan Clarkson - Combo guard who can score.
Fred VanVleet - Somebody's handing him the keys and letting him run their team.
Joe Harris - Shooters are going to make money, and the Nets don't have the cap space to keep him.
Davis Bertans - Big shooter. Another guy who will have teams lining up.
Jae Crowder - Will set the market for grit.
Jabari Parker - Probably exercises his option rather than sit on Sacramento's bench.
Montrezl Harrell - Plays like the Tasmanian Devil. If you watched Space Jam, you know that's good.
Carmelo Anthony - Anybody want some mid-range?
Furkan Korkmaz - A week ago, nobody cares. This week? Get Furkan Korkmaz!
Christian Wood - Detroit moved Drummond to make him the center. They want to keep him, but he'd be crazy not to test the market.
It's a fairly interesting list of players. Not a lot of star power, but a pile of guys who can help.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Revering4Blue (02-12-2020)
Actually, Furk is signed through the 2020-21 season. His contract dollars for next season guarantee if he's not waived by late July (and they won't waive him, of course). I believe they also retained his Bird rights.
Kinda' weird for a guy who was looking for an NBA gig this past summer.
Last edited by SteelSD; 02-10-2020 at 06:54 PM.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
M2 (02-10-2020),Revering4Blue (02-12-2020)
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