As of today, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 8th in the west with a 15-15 record in what has been, so far, a disastrous start for a team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Steven Adams. They expected to be a contender to get to the conference finals and possibly upset the Warriors. Now with the emergence of Houston not losing a single game so far with Chris Paul in the lineup, it seems the Thunder's ceiling is the conference semifinals. Here is what Paul George told Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated back in July about expectations for the Thunder and what he wants for his career:
"For me, it's all about winning. I want to be in a good system, a good team. I'm playing this game to win and build a winning legacy. I've yet to do that. I'm searching for it. If we get a killer season in Oklahoma, we make the conference finals or upset the Warriors or do something crazy, I'd be dumb to leave that."
Obviously, Oklahoma City has not met those expectations yet for Paul George. On December 12th after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets, George told reporters:
"We can say we're going to figure it out, we can say all that. But at some point it's got to stop."
Since then, the Thunder have won 3 of their last 4 games, with wins at the playoff-caliber Pacers, at home in triple overtime versus the young Sixers, and at home by one point versus the playoff-caliber Nuggets who were missing Paul Millsap and had Nikola Jokic on a minutes restriction due to injury. They also lost to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Thunder still need to prove a lot more than they can be a legitimate Western Conference contender, even though they are only 3.5 games back of the 4th seed.
Now, the Lakers are 11th in the West with a 10-18 record in the midst of a grueling schedule. They may be reeling with a 3-game losing streak and only winning 2 of their last 10 games, but their young players have impressed. Brandon Ingram in December is averaging 18.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4 APG with a 50% true shooting percentage. While he is not the most efficient player as of yet, Ingram has been steadily increasing month after month since his rookie year and his defense has been solid so far this season. Also this month so far, Lonzo Ball has been averaging 10.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 6.9 APG with a 51.5 true shooting percentage after having an abysmal 36.9% and 40.1% true shooting percentages in November and October respectively. He has also made 33.3% of his 3s this month. Ball has shown major improvements in his scoring in just a short time in this young season. His defense has also been stellar not just for a rookie, but for any guard. Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma have also been consistent productions off the bench.
With all that being said, Paul George could be on the trade block, most likely towards the deadline. The more this season goes on, George's stock will likely go down because he has an expiring contract. According to Yahoo! Sports' Michael Lee on the HoopsHype Podcast, he believes George "wants to win, first and foremost" and even though he would "love to win in LA", he will choose the "place that gives him the best shot at winning". With that being said, the Lakers will probably need to create more cap space to attract a second max free agent.
Since the Lakers are not guaranteed to getting Paul George, it might be best to trade for him before the deadline. This gives the Lakers the ability to give him a full 5-year contract. They also have his bird rights, so re-signing him would create more cap flexibility. If the Lakers were to just sign Paul George when he comes off the books this summer without trading for him, he would take up more cap space than if the Lakers were to re-sign him if they traded for him. This will make it easier for the Lakers to not only create one more max cap slot, but also more space for mid-tier free agents to fill out the rest of the roster.
Now, let's explore some trade scenarios. The Lakers would need to give up one of Brook Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, or Luol Deng. Given that the Thunder have Steven Adams, Lopez is probably unlikely. Given Deng's contract, that also makes him unlikely. That makes KCP the likely choice. It also helps that both he and George are perimeter players. This year, KCP is earning $17.7 mil and George is earning $19.5 mil. The Lakers would then have to give up Larry Nance, Jr. and his $1.4 mil salary. Nance is a solid forward who can help almost every winning team and being able to maintain him when he becomes a restricted free agent in 2019 is valuable. He would also give OKC a trade exception, which means that they could take on more salary than they give away in other trades for up to a year. To sweeten the deal, the Lakers could throw in Ivica Zubac who also has a trade exception and has a $1.3 mil salary. While he has barely gotten minutes this season, he is still only 20 years old with a lot of room to grow. Combining him, Nance, and KCP makes the salaries match up.
Furthermore, the Lakers could throw in Jordan Clarkson, who is getting $11.5 mil this season with three total years left on his deal. The Lakers would then need to take on Kyle Singler, who is earning $4.7 mil this season also with three years left, and expiring contracts in Raymond Felton and Josh Huestis, who are each earning $1.5 mil this season. The Lakers would be taking on roughly $3.6 mil less in salary and would gain about $8.5 mil in cap space, not counting a potential Paul George extension. Clarkson and KCP would strengthen OKC's already weak guard rotation behind Russell Westbrook.
While that may not seem fair for OKC, it will be tough for them to find better deals going forward given George's contract expiring and teams worried they could lose him. If the Lakers stretch Luol Deng, they will have room for another max player if they do not match offers for Julius Randle. General Manager Rob Pelinka could still move Randle for a draft pick and an expiring contract. The Lakers should only do that if they acquire Paul George because he gives the Lakers a much better chance at signing another max free agent. If they do not trade for the all-star swingman, they should keep Randle because he is a great plan B to be their starting 5 going forward.
In summary, the Lakers would send Caldwell-Pope, Larry Nance, Jr., Jordan Clarkson, and Ivica Zubac for Paul George, Kyle Singler, Raymond Felton, and Josh Huestis. The Lakers would gain an extra $8.5 mil in cap space and the bird rights for PG-13. The Thunder would get a stronger guard rotation, a strong backup 4, a young prospect they can keep improving, and two trade exceptions. Given that George does not look likely to stay, it would be smart for OKC to move him to not lose him for nothing like they did with Kevin Durant. The trade market will probably be shallow given George is an expiring contract. The Lakers should pounce when the deadline is near. George will not only elevate the young players around him, but also attract another star, like LeBron James or DeMarcus Cousins, to join them.
What do you guys think? Maybe I'm a genius. Maybe I'm an idiot. Maybe you have a better idea. I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or discuss it with me on Twitter @2sainttakes.
(Stats via Basketball-Reference.com)
As of today, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 8th in the west with a 15-15 record in what has been, so far, a disastrous start for a team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Steven Adams. They expected to be a contender to get to the conference finals and possibly upset the Warriors. Now with the emergence of Houston not losing a single game so far with Chris Paul in the lineup, it seems the Thunder's ceiling is the conference semifinals. Here is what Paul George told Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated back in July about expectations for the Thunder and what he wants for his career:
"For me, it's all about winning. I want to be in a good system, a good team. I'm playing this game to win and build a winning legacy. I've yet to do that. I'm searching for it. If we get a killer season in Oklahoma, we make the conference finals or upset the Warriors or do something crazy, I'd be dumb to leave that."
Obviously, Oklahoma City has not met those expectations yet for Paul George. On December 12th after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets, George told reporters:
"We can say we're going to figure it out, we can say all that. But at some point it's got to stop."
Since then, the Thunder have won 3 of their last 4 games, with wins at the playoff-caliber Pacers, at home in triple overtime versus the young Sixers, and at home by one point versus the playoff-caliber Nuggets who were missing Paul Millsap and had Nikola Jokic on a minutes restriction due to injury. They also lost to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Thunder still need to prove a lot more than they can be a legitimate Western Conference contender, even though they are only 3.5 games back of the 4th seed.
Now, the Lakers are 11th in the West with a 10-18 record in the midst of a grueling schedule. They may be reeling with a 3-game losing streak and only winning 2 of their last 10 games, but their young players have impressed. Brandon Ingram in December is averaging 18.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4 APG with a 50% true shooting percentage. While he is not the most efficient player as of yet, Ingram has been steadily increasing month after month since his rookie year and his defense has been solid so far this season. Also this month so far, Lonzo Ball has been averaging 10.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 6.9 APG with a 51.5 true shooting percentage after having an abysmal 36.9% and 40.1% true shooting percentages in November and October respectively. He has also made 33.3% of his 3s this month. Ball has shown major improvements in his scoring in just a short time in this young season. His defense has also been stellar not just for a rookie, but for any guard. Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma have also been consistent productions off the bench.
With all that being said, Paul George could be on the trade block, most likely towards the deadline. The more this season goes on, George's stock will likely go down because he has an expiring contract. According to Yahoo! Sports' Michael Lee on the HoopsHype Podcast, he believes George "wants to win, first and foremost" and even though he would "love to win in LA", he will choose the "place that gives him the best shot at winning". With that being said, the Lakers will probably need to create more cap space to attract a second max free agent.
Since the Lakers are not guaranteed to getting Paul George, it might be best to trade for him before the deadline. This gives the Lakers the ability to give him a full 5-year contract. They also have his bird rights, so re-signing him would create more cap flexibility. If the Lakers were to just sign Paul George when he comes off the books this summer without trading for him, he would take up more cap space than if the Lakers were to re-sign him if they traded for him. This will make it easier for the Lakers to not only create one more max cap slot, but also more space for mid-tier free agents to fill out the rest of the roster.
Now, let's explore some trade scenarios. The Lakers would need to give up one of Brook Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, or Luol Deng. Given that the Thunder have Steven Adams, Lopez is probably unlikely. Given Deng's contract, that also makes him unlikely. That makes KCP the likely choice. It also helps that both he and George are perimeter players. This year, KCP is earning $17.7 mil and George is earning $19.5 mil. The Lakers would then have to give up Larry Nance, Jr. and his $1.4 mil salary. Nance is a solid forward who can help almost every winning team and being able to maintain him when he becomes a restricted free agent in 2019 is valuable. He would also give OKC a trade exception, which means that they could take on more salary than they give away in other trades for up to a year. To sweeten the deal, the Lakers could throw in Ivica Zubac who also has a trade exception and has a $1.3 mil salary. While he has barely gotten minutes this season, he is still only 20 years old with a lot of room to grow. Combining him, Nance, and KCP makes the salaries match up.
Furthermore, the Lakers could throw in Jordan Clarkson, who is getting $11.5 mil this season with three total years left on his deal. The Lakers would then need to take on Kyle Singler, who is earning $4.7 mil this season also with three years left, and expiring contracts in Raymond Felton and Josh Huestis, who are each earning $1.5 mil this season. The Lakers would be taking on roughly $3.6 mil less in salary and would gain about $8.5 mil in cap space, not counting a potential Paul George extension. Clarkson and KCP would strengthen OKC's already weak guard rotation behind Russell Westbrook.
While that may not seem fair for OKC, it will be tough for them to find better deals going forward given George's contract expiring and teams worried they could lose him. If the Lakers stretch Luol Deng, they will have room for another max player if they do not match offers for Julius Randle. General Manager Rob Pelinka could still move Randle for a draft pick and an expiring contract. The Lakers should only do that if they acquire Paul George because he gives the Lakers a much better chance at signing another max free agent. If they do not trade for the all-star swingman, they should keep Randle because he is a great plan B to be their starting 5 going forward.
In summary, the Lakers would send Caldwell-Pope, Larry Nance, Jr., Jordan Clarkson, and Ivica Zubac for Paul George, Kyle Singler, Raymond Felton, and Josh Huestis. The Lakers would gain an extra $8.5 mil in cap space and the bird rights for PG-13. The Thunder would get a stronger guard rotation, a strong backup 4, a young prospect they can keep improving, and two trade exceptions. Given that George does not look likely to stay, it would be smart for OKC to move him to not lose him for nothing like they did with Kevin Durant. The trade market will probably be shallow given George is an expiring contract. The Lakers should pounce when the deadline is near. George will not only elevate the young players around him, but also attract another star, like LeBron James or DeMarcus Cousins, to join them.
What do you guys think? Maybe I'm a genius. Maybe I'm an idiot. Maybe you have a better idea. I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or discuss it with me on Twitter @2sainttakes.
(Stats via Basketball-Reference.com)