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L.A. Lakers Trade Rumors
Inside information out of Boston has indicated that the Lakers and Celtics may be working on another deal once the Celtics have confirmation that Payton is good to go. Marcus Banks and seldom used Yogi Stewart to the Lakers for Luke Walton and Devean George.
The Lakers would hate to see Walton go, but it amounts to losing your third string small forward for a young point guard who ultimately could grow into the starting role. George is recovering from ankle surgery and will miss at least the first months of the season. He never healed correctly from that spill he took against the San Antonio Spurs back in the 2003 playoffs but should be back to normal once he mends. Although he had some excellent moments in Los Angeles, he hasn't performed up to expectations after the Lakers gave him a nice contract.
Yogi Stewart has been floundering on the Celtics bench and probably would do the same in LA. Call him insurance in case Karl Malone doesn't return to the team.
The deal would end up costing the Celts about $2.5 million in additional salary since George has a two-year deal and Stewart is the last of his contract.
Boston is stocked with too many players on the roster with 17 bodies to fill 15 spots. The team is looking into moving Rick Fox, Yogi Stewart and possibly Jiri Welsch to bring back an impact power forward. Ricky Davis has been getting a very positive report based on his summer workouts, but he could be on the block as well. If they don't make a big trade, Fox will likely retire and Ernest Brown with a non-guaranteed contract will probably be given his walking papers.
With nothing else lined up, Danny Ainge may make this smaller deal with LA which helps both teams balance the roster slightly. The Celtics would have a ton of talent at the swing position. Here would be their projected roster:
PG: Gary Payton\Delonte West
SG: Ricky Davis\Jiri Welsh\Tony Allen
SF: Paul Pierce\Luke Walton\Devean George\Justin Reed
PF: Walter McCarty\Al Jefferson\Kendrick Perkins\Tom Gugliotta
C: Mark Blount\Raef LaFrentz
This assumes that Brown is cut and Fox retires. Boston would still be in a position to make a nice deal to improve at power forward. Blount and LaFrentz could start together in the front court. Some of these questions may not be answered pre-season as the team gets a look at what Jefferson, Perkins and Walton can do on the court. Luke can play power forward at times, especially in the East. Against the Corliss Williamson types he's overmatched, but Phil Jackson put him at the four more often than the three once Malone was injured.
There's something to be said for Boston bringing in the son of a once great Celtic, Hall of Fame Center Bill Walton. Luke is a gem on any team and the Celtic fans would take him in as warmly as the Staples crowd.
The Celtics are still overloaded, but it's better to have too much talent than not enough.
As far as the Lakers, the roster suddenly makes sense after the proposed trade:
PG: Chucky Atkins\Marcus Banks\Sasha Vujacic
SG: Kobe Bryant\Kareem Rush\Tony Bobbitt
SF: Lamar Odom\Caron Butler\Jumaine Jones
PF: Brian Grant\Slava Medvedenko\Brian Cook
C: Vlade Divac, Chris Mihm, Yogi Stewart
Karl Malone is still a question mark. He has made it clear that he won't announce his decision until he's 100% sure he can play on his repaired knee. Keep in mind he had the same surgery that Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn and Jason Kidd had on their respective knees . . . micro-fracture surgery to let blood flow initiate cartilage re-growth. That's a pretty serious deal. If Karl does play, there's a decent chance he returns . . . but Minnesota and San Antonio offer plausible chances to earn that elusive ring. Clearly he's not a lock, but since he enrolled his kids in LA area schools, the Lakers have a good shot. If he does return, he probably won't be ready by opening day.
The Lakers will likely cut Nate Johnson before camp. If Malone does return, an additional Laker needs to be moved. The Celtics don't need any other players, so either Brian Cook or Jumaine Jones (and cash) could he shopped for a second round draft pick. If that doesn't work, reluctantly the Lakers may have to waive Bobbitt whose contract is not guaranteed. Assuming Dr. Jerry Buss will pay for a 15-man roster, that's the proposed 2004-5 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bottom Line
Mitch Kupchak has done a solid job of rebuilding the Los Angeles Lakers around Kobe Bryant thus far. Unfortunately the job is not yet complete and the Lakers are very suspect defensively at point guard. Kupchak has one strike against him after the original trade with the Celtics blew up in his face. If the rumored trade went through, the complete Laker\Celtic transaction would be:
Gary Payton, Rick Fox, Luke Walton, Devean George and a number one pick for
Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm, Marcus Banks, Jumaine Jones and Yogi Stewart.
From the Laker perspective, the deal brings in two legitimate prospects in Mihm and Banks and a solid back up point (who will probably start) in Atkins. The marginal cost would be two aging players not part of the long term equation and a small forward who did not live up to expectations. The legitimate costs would be losing Luke Walton and that number one pick.
The Celtics are in their own rebuilding process and Walton would be a nice addition to their squad. Boston should have a legitimate shot at the number three or four seed in the East which would land them home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Once again Gary Payton could spoil any deal by refusing to play for the Celtics . . . but that doesn't appear to be the case..
In the long run, the deal doesn't answer all questions for either team, but on paper it improves both squads.
As far as the Lakers, the benefits of the deal clearly outweigh the costs. The team would be primed for a legitimate playoff run in the West.
Would they beat the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs
Probably not . . . but the franchise would be in good position considering they just traded the most dominant center of the modern era in Shaquille O'Neal.
Source: hoopsworld.com
The Lakers would hate to see Walton go, but it amounts to losing your third string small forward for a young point guard who ultimately could grow into the starting role. George is recovering from ankle surgery and will miss at least the first months of the season. He never healed correctly from that spill he took against the San Antonio Spurs back in the 2003 playoffs but should be back to normal once he mends. Although he had some excellent moments in Los Angeles, he hasn't performed up to expectations after the Lakers gave him a nice contract.
Yogi Stewart has been floundering on the Celtics bench and probably would do the same in LA. Call him insurance in case Karl Malone doesn't return to the team.
The deal would end up costing the Celts about $2.5 million in additional salary since George has a two-year deal and Stewart is the last of his contract.
Boston is stocked with too many players on the roster with 17 bodies to fill 15 spots. The team is looking into moving Rick Fox, Yogi Stewart and possibly Jiri Welsch to bring back an impact power forward. Ricky Davis has been getting a very positive report based on his summer workouts, but he could be on the block as well. If they don't make a big trade, Fox will likely retire and Ernest Brown with a non-guaranteed contract will probably be given his walking papers.
With nothing else lined up, Danny Ainge may make this smaller deal with LA which helps both teams balance the roster slightly. The Celtics would have a ton of talent at the swing position. Here would be their projected roster:
PG: Gary Payton\Delonte West
SG: Ricky Davis\Jiri Welsh\Tony Allen
SF: Paul Pierce\Luke Walton\Devean George\Justin Reed
PF: Walter McCarty\Al Jefferson\Kendrick Perkins\Tom Gugliotta
C: Mark Blount\Raef LaFrentz
This assumes that Brown is cut and Fox retires. Boston would still be in a position to make a nice deal to improve at power forward. Blount and LaFrentz could start together in the front court. Some of these questions may not be answered pre-season as the team gets a look at what Jefferson, Perkins and Walton can do on the court. Luke can play power forward at times, especially in the East. Against the Corliss Williamson types he's overmatched, but Phil Jackson put him at the four more often than the three once Malone was injured.
There's something to be said for Boston bringing in the son of a once great Celtic, Hall of Fame Center Bill Walton. Luke is a gem on any team and the Celtic fans would take him in as warmly as the Staples crowd.
The Celtics are still overloaded, but it's better to have too much talent than not enough.
As far as the Lakers, the roster suddenly makes sense after the proposed trade:
PG: Chucky Atkins\Marcus Banks\Sasha Vujacic
SG: Kobe Bryant\Kareem Rush\Tony Bobbitt
SF: Lamar Odom\Caron Butler\Jumaine Jones
PF: Brian Grant\Slava Medvedenko\Brian Cook
C: Vlade Divac, Chris Mihm, Yogi Stewart
Karl Malone is still a question mark. He has made it clear that he won't announce his decision until he's 100% sure he can play on his repaired knee. Keep in mind he had the same surgery that Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn and Jason Kidd had on their respective knees . . . micro-fracture surgery to let blood flow initiate cartilage re-growth. That's a pretty serious deal. If Karl does play, there's a decent chance he returns . . . but Minnesota and San Antonio offer plausible chances to earn that elusive ring. Clearly he's not a lock, but since he enrolled his kids in LA area schools, the Lakers have a good shot. If he does return, he probably won't be ready by opening day.
The Lakers will likely cut Nate Johnson before camp. If Malone does return, an additional Laker needs to be moved. The Celtics don't need any other players, so either Brian Cook or Jumaine Jones (and cash) could he shopped for a second round draft pick. If that doesn't work, reluctantly the Lakers may have to waive Bobbitt whose contract is not guaranteed. Assuming Dr. Jerry Buss will pay for a 15-man roster, that's the proposed 2004-5 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bottom Line
Mitch Kupchak has done a solid job of rebuilding the Los Angeles Lakers around Kobe Bryant thus far. Unfortunately the job is not yet complete and the Lakers are very suspect defensively at point guard. Kupchak has one strike against him after the original trade with the Celtics blew up in his face. If the rumored trade went through, the complete Laker\Celtic transaction would be:
Gary Payton, Rick Fox, Luke Walton, Devean George and a number one pick for
Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm, Marcus Banks, Jumaine Jones and Yogi Stewart.
From the Laker perspective, the deal brings in two legitimate prospects in Mihm and Banks and a solid back up point (who will probably start) in Atkins. The marginal cost would be two aging players not part of the long term equation and a small forward who did not live up to expectations. The legitimate costs would be losing Luke Walton and that number one pick.
The Celtics are in their own rebuilding process and Walton would be a nice addition to their squad. Boston should have a legitimate shot at the number three or four seed in the East which would land them home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Once again Gary Payton could spoil any deal by refusing to play for the Celtics . . . but that doesn't appear to be the case..
In the long run, the deal doesn't answer all questions for either team, but on paper it improves both squads.
As far as the Lakers, the benefits of the deal clearly outweigh the costs. The team would be primed for a legitimate playoff run in the West.
Would they beat the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs
Probably not . . . but the franchise would be in good position considering they just traded the most dominant center of the modern era in Shaquille O'Neal.
Source: hoopsworld.com