FanPost

LA Lakers Mock Offseason


Hello, Silver Screen and Roll community:

Every year after the draft lottery, we have a mock offseason and draft at Canis Hoopus (SBNation Timberwolves Blog). Teams are randomly assigned to interested commenters, and this year I was tasked with commanding the Lakers. It is tradition that each Mock GM return to his/her home blog to report his/her actions in a fanpost to solicit their feedback. Here were my priorities as fake Magic Johnson/Rob Pelinka and how I attempted to accomplish them:

Goals:

1) Shed the Contracts of Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng to allow the Lakers space enough to make a max offer to Paul George (~31 million in Summer 2018)

2) Draft the best player available at #2

3) Acquire a 2018 1st, given that the Lakers owe their pick unprotected to PHI

4) Trade for players that will win games in 2017-2018 and beyond. Winning more than 35 games in 2017-2018 has no adverse draft consequences given that the Lakers do not own their pick, and makes the team more attractive to potential free agents.

To accomplish these goals, here is what I did and the rationale for each move:

1) Traded Luol Deng to Milwaukee for Spencer Hawes and Mirza Teletovic.

We were working under the assumption that Hawes would opt-in to his 6 million contract for this year. However, because his contract expires in Summer 2018, it saves ~ $8 million that could be used in 2018 FA. (Milwaukee wanted a Sudanese mentor for Thon Maker)

2) Traded 2017 #2 and Timofey Mozgov for 2017 #4, 2017 #32, Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa

This move was dependent on my distrust of Lonzo Ball. Like many, I think his ability to create/score in the half-court offense is severely limited and that his stats were inflated by UCLA's atypical pace and at perimeter shooting. This trade allowed me to save another ~ $6 million in 2018 while picking up a useful wing forward, an extra pick and 4 million in non-guaranteed 2017 salary.

3) Drafted Jayson Tatum #4 overall

I am more enamored of Tatum than most and had him at #2 on my draft board. Of all the players drafted between 2006 and 2016, there were are 3 seasons in which a player was taller than 6’7, younger than 21, had > 1 STL per 40, shot > 48% on 2PFG and > 80% on FTs (for reference, Jayson Tatum: 6’8, 19.2 yo, 1.6 STL, 50%, 85%). Those 3 players were Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Gordon Hayward. In particular, Tatum looks to me like Gordon Hayward.

4) Traded 2017 #28, Larry Nance Jr., Mirza Teletovic and Tarik Black for Hassan Whiteside

With goals 1 and 2 accomplished, I hoped to find players in their prime who could help the Lakers return to the playoffs in 2017-2018 and beyond. Whiteside is 28 and under contract through 2019 or 2020 (depending on his 2019 player option). He is (in my opinion) a top-10 NBA center and an ideal PnR partner with D'Angelo Russell. I really like Nance, but the opportunity to get an all-star quality big man while retaining 2018 max salary space was too much to pass up.

5) Traded Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac for Jae Crowder

I suspect this will be my most controversial move. Although Brandon Ingram showed promise as a versatile wing last year, no player in NBA history has turned in a rookie season as bleak as Ingram's and subsequently developed into a star (depending on what you think of Allan Houston, I guess). By most on-off metrics, Crowder is a top-10 NBA wing and ranks 21st (regardless of position) in the NBA using multi-year RPM. He also has hands-down the best non-rookie contract in the NBA, signed through 2020 at less than 8 million per year.

6) Traded Leandro Barbosa's non-guaranteed contract for Ed Davis

Ed Davis has been a serviceable backup for big for the last few, and at 28 is unlikely to decline too much. His contract also expires next summer, so I retain flexibility in Summer 2018.

Final Summary:

Looking back, I think I accomplished every goal except acquiring a 2018 first. I believe that the Lakers are in a good position to move into the hunt for the 8-seed in the West, with enough cap room (36 million) to sign a max contract in 2018. They currently have two players in their who are top 10 at their position (Whiteside, Crowder), have young players who may develop into top 10 players at theirs (Russell, Tatum) and have positionally flexible depth (Clarkson, Dudley, Randle, Davis). Below is a summary of their multi-year cap hits:

lakers cap sheet

I expect to use the 32nd pick and sign G-league dudes to minimum contracts fill out the last 4 spots. I'll update this post after that all gets done.

Let me know what you think in the comments!