The Draft is done, and now the NBA is getting ready for the rush of free agency.
In a twist on the normal run of things, the Lakers really aren’t a big part of the rumor mill. The reasons are fairly obvious: They lack cap space, and to create any, it would require the Lakers to clear the decks of too many important players. Way too many. Meanwhile, the types of guys they can afford aren’t the shiny names that get attention at this point of the process. But logic and reality has never been a big part of determining whether people talk about the Lakers and free agent action.
Instead, the focus really is much more on the market for their own free agents, and whether the Lakers will make a real effort to run it back. That starts with D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. And the market for Hachimura might have taken shape over the weekend, when Minnesota’s Naz Reid signed an extension with the Wolves for about $14 million a season.
And while some Lakers fans had pipe dreams of somehow getting Reid to LA – that was never going to happen – that the Wolves got him for just above the full midlevel is a good sign for the Lakers. At first look, it’s hard to see how many teams will go much higher than that for Hachimura. The teams with cap space (Houston, for example) don’t benefit using it on Rui. Really good teams that might have a defined role for him don’t have the money. So maybe the Lakers keep him for something like that $14 mil, which is a few mil less than what the top end could be, and given all the tax math the Lakers are doing, that could be a big deal.
They also have a choice to make on Mo Bamba, who would get a little more appealing on the open market with Reid gone as an option. Should the Lakers decline his $10 million option for next year, would they be able to lure him back on a smaller deal? If they let him go, who could replace him?
It’s a pickle! Bamba may not be perfect, but he’s very likely better than who the Lakers could get on a minimum deal, and to use their exception to fill a hole they created would be painful.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: The Lakers aren’t a big part of the discourse as free agency talk heats up.
SEGMENT 2: Did Naz Reid set the market for Rui Hachimura?
SEGMENT 3: To Bamba or not to Bamba? That is the question.
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33 Comments
If the lakers failed to land vanvleet, Go get Buddy Hield & Jacob Poeltl..
I agree with the view of Andy with regards to Reid as compare to Rui, the ceiling of the former is much better…
Lakers not gonna clear max cap space anyway. So why talk about it? It's irrelevant
thankyou
Bamba and Carleton Sud be the bigs…
I live in Japan and follow the Japanese language media and I think Rui is misunderstood a little in the US as to why he hasn’t reached his ceiling.
Rui has faced tremendous pressure and prejudice all his life. Growing up in rural Japan in a country that is more than 95% ethnic Japanese he was bullied and made fun of as a person of mixed heritage yet he was also a star basketball player who was expected to represent his school, his region and ultimately, Japan. His behavior was constantly scrutinized as to whether it was Japanese enough, and the slightly sign of what they viewed as selfishness or disloyalty was criticized as proof that he wasn’t “really” Japanese after all. This duality of being the Japanese standard bearer in basketball who also wasn’t totally accepted as one of their own I’m sure was very hard on Rui, as it is for all ethnic and racial minorities in Japan who try to integrate themselves into mainstream Japanese society.
He was thrown into a mess in DC. Covid turned his world upside down and he didn’t see his family for months on end and couldn’t return to his country. He still was expected to be one of Japan’s representative top stars at the Tokyo Olympics, an event he didn’t want to attend given the political pressures on him and the ongoing pandemic. The whole ordeal led to him having a nervous breakdown. Between injuries, the pandemic and his totally understandable mental health issues, 2 1/2 years of his career as a Wiz were lost. For this both the American and Japanese media and fans called him soft and a bust.
He’s going to be good. His ceiling is not lower than Naz Reid. Rui is just finally getting his chance to get started as his own man.
Lopez is 4 on the center list? How is he not 1st? 28:25
I appreciate your consistency in uploading videos. It's clear that you're dedicated to your craft.
Watch out for Sacramento….Rui would be a good fit there.
not sure am ambivalent about bamba. we see.the potential. but it is STILL RAW…yes coaching matters so does player will/ effort/responsiblity…he berds ro work on several things (defensive fundamentals for sure)…like him but.if they move on i,ll understand
Peace – The CBA is already having the expected impact. Naz would have probably got 18-20M. Rui probably 10-13M – D-lo probably 15-18M – AR15…who knows, probably 12-15M – I hope we keep Mo, he shoots 49%/38% we can use that, especially for 10M
it be good if he wasnt like permanently injured
Resign hachimura and if bamba wants to go to the bulls then trade him.
Kind of have to keep Mo til we can upgrade there. Rui and Austin are must keep
Lakers started the NBA Playoffs with a NON-SCORER AT SMALL FORWARD on the 1st Unit, fix that instead of Nazr Reid concerns.
I heard Rui and Austin contracts will be backloaded in the last two years as AD & LeBron will be gone.
The center issue will be solved by either packaging Bamba & Beasley with future draft considerations or keep Bamba let Beasley walk and sign a Plumlee or Jaxson Hayes or Goga Bitadze or Mo Wagner
The big question is: would LeBron or Davis ever allow Reaves or Rui ( or anyone else) to be the 2 lead scorers?
Regarding Rui….has everyone forgotten the 2019 draft? Most assuredly so! Rui was drafted #9 and there was an uproar that WAS had drafted him above his teammate Brandon Clarke – who went to the Griz at #21. Rui was clearly 'over drafted' and has proved that over his time in WAS. Put this, along with his performance in WAS, and you should get a more skeptical group of GMs looking at this player. IMO, the well run front offices are not going to offer Rui over $15M and the poorly run front offices are mostly in real financial trouble with the new CBA. Again IMO, Rui's advisor(s) know all this and I suspect the Lakers will resign him at $16/17M for three years, with the last year a player option. Since his player hold is $18M, it doesn't really change the Laker situation whether they sign him immediately or wait. The benefit of signing early is to forestall some poorly run organization from clearing their books and signing him, but waiting makes signing D'Lo easier.
Hey, there, Kamenetsky brothers! Are you guys twins?
The Bulls the Raptors both need a point Guard. See you later DLo
Lakers can find a center in free agency. Unfortunately there will not be a point guard they can afford without a trade
Trade for Robert Williams!!!
I want to see MOBAMBA play at least 25 game with significant minutes, then we can tell if he is worth keeping or being put in a trade package.
BEING A LA LAKER, CAN GET YOU SHOE DEALS AND COMMERCIAL SPOTS., THAT OTHER FRANCHISE CAN'T
Thanks guys
I say we bring back Mo and sign cousins for another big body that can space the floor, they can even split the C minutes
The free agency moves has 3 tiers of prioritization
Tier 1: Bring back the core that showed so much promise meaning
– resign Reaves, Rui
Tier 2: We do need an elite rebounding defesive minded hopefully athletic big and an one more big man backup for AD
Tier 3:
We need an elite marksman, a vet like Seth Curry. DLo signing cud be after a prolonged negotiation…i agree with u guys, I wud bring him and Mo back on negotiated deals.
So lots of ground to cover….Lakers will have to brace themselves for some other team throwing the cat among the pegions.
The key word is continuity and patience ..as opposed to the all in moves made by Suns, Celtics and Warriors….which is risky and more likely to fail than succeed and the added pressure is counter productive.
Say Reaves is offered 40 million from Houston (I know this is crazy but I am using it as an example) but Reaves doesn't want to go to the Rockets. Can he accept a lesser contract and stay? I know they can match but can Reaves say NO to a contract?
How is max Christie going to
Develop, with so many players?
Will Rui Achimura, be able to
PLAY 40 minutes, or will Austin
Reaves, be able to play 40
Minutes? Will Mo bamba- be
Allow to show what he can do –
If healthy?
Is DHam go hire some coaches??
Without a starting center(Not named AD who is a traditional 4) Lakers aren’t winning a championship. Without a starting PG ( Not named DLO or Dennis) Lakers aren’t winning a championship. And that’s the bare minimum.
RUI ACHIMURA, CAN PLAY SOME
CENTER, WITH BAMBA..