Suns get lottery pick from Lakers if they miss playoffs

[95pro]

lakers barely beat the bobcats last night, even with howard having a good night.
on a side note, kobaby leads the league in turnovers.

 

[sunsfan88]

The probability of the Lakers missing the playoffs is so remote as to be really not worth worrying about. Take a look at the Western Conference standings and ask yourself honestly how many of those teams could finish in front of the Lakers over an 82-game season.

OKC
SA
MEM
LAC
DEN
HOU
GS
DAL
UTA

Lakers are with Minnesota and Portland competing for playoff spots imo.

 

[asudevil83]

OKC
SA
MEM
LAC
DEN
HOU
GS
DAL
UTA

Lakers are with Minnesota and Portland competing for playoff spots imo.

OKC/SA/MEM/LAC/GS are locks IMO.
DEN/GS/HOU will probably make it

DAL/LAL/POR/UTA will all be fighting for the last spot.

Minny is out because Love is done for a couple months.

 

[SunsTzu]

OKC/SA/MEM/LAC/GS are locks IMO.
DEN/GS/HOU will probably make it

DAL/LAL/POR/UTA will all be fighting for the last spot.

Minny is out because Love is done for a couple months.

I wouldn't count MIN out, they were only 9-9 with Love and he was playing pretty poorly yet they're still in the mix. Utah is also in a tough spot with Williams out and no quality PG.

I think if Portland makes a move to bolster their bench by the trading deadline it's theirs to lose.

 

[hcsilla]

I wouldn't count MIN out, they were only 9-9 with Love and he was playing pretty poorly yet they're still in the mix. Utah is also in a tough spot with Williams out and no quality PG.

I think if Portland makes a move to bolster their bench by the trading deadline it's theirs to lose.

How about trading Gortat and Telfair for Meyers Leonard and expiring contracts?

We kill two birds with one stone: a rebuilding move that reduces the Lakers' chances for making the PO.

 

[SunsTzu]

How about trading Gortat and Telfair for Meyers Leonard and expiring contracts?

We kill two birds with one stone: a rebuilding move that reduces the Lakers' chances for making the PO.

I'd consider that selling low on Gortat. If the Suns can't get more than a prospect like Leonard I'd just hold on to him to see what he could fetch at draft time.

 

[hcsilla]

Leonard was #11.

Do you expect getting a higher pick for Gortat? From which team exactly?

 

[Phrazbit]

Leonard was #11.

Do you expect getting a higher pick for Gortat? From which team exactly?

Who cares where the guy was picked? Leonard is not the 11th pick in the draft anymore, he is now just plain Meyers Leonard, a plodding center who in my opinion has a very limited upside.

 

[SunsTzu]

Leonard was #11.

Do you expect getting a higher pick for Gortat? From which team exactly?

Well draft position isn't the deciding factor in determining the value of a prospect(for instance I'd be more tempted to do Gortat for the #12 pick last year + expirings), so it wouldn't necessarily have to be a higher draft pick to have a better prospect.

Who may be interested will be dependent upon how teams finish the season. If you're looking for an example then lets say OKC fails to win it all and with question marks surrounding their ability to keep Martin I think a Gortat/Dudley package for Perkins + assets would be of interest.

I don't see Leonard being much more than a hustle big so even if I can't get anything better and missed out I wouldn't lose any sleep. Similar to how I felt about not getting Hickson in a potential Amare deal in 2010.

 

[elindholm]

Gortat's trade value for the Suns is really quite limited. He's not a difference maker to anyone, so no one's going to give up prime young talent or a star-level veteran. Instead, any Gortat trade will fetch only mediocre assets in return, and the Suns aren't going anywhere with mediocre assets.

The best prospect for a Gortat trade is to package him with a bad deal (presumably Beasley) for an expiring.

 

[SunsTzu]

The best prospect for a Gortat trade is to package him with a bad deal (presumably Beasley) for an expiring.

May as well keep him then because the Suns don't really have any deals bad enough to warrant that, including Beasley.

 

[HooverDam]

He's not a difference maker to anyone,

I think he'd be a difference maker for Boston. He'd make things a lot easier on KG who's basically their only playable big.

Not that the Suns can get a star or anything for him. But if they can somehow get Avery Bradley for Gortat or some similar package, I'd be happy with that.

The Suns don't have any assets that are going to get them star players, or picks that'll likely lead to stars. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be getting usable, young role players or guys that might be starter level quality.

 

[The Commish]

I think he'd be a difference maker for Boston. He'd make things a lot easier on KG who's basically their only playable big.

Not that the Suns can get a star or anything for him. But if they can somehow get Avery Bradley for Gortat or some similar package, I'd be happy with that.

The Suns don't have any assets that are going to get them star players, or picks that'll likely lead to stars. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be getting usable, young role players or guys that might be starter level quality.

^This

 

[hcsilla]

Well draft position isn't the deciding factor in determining the value of a prospect(for instance I'd be more tempted to do Gortat for the #12 pick last year + expirings),

I know draft position isn't the deciding factor but saying that Leonard is not enough for Gortat means that you think that the Suns can get a higher pick for Gortat than #11 unless you think that the Blazers make a mistake when drafted Leonard.

Gortat may fetch more than #11 but I'm not sure at all and especially not if we wait till draft time.

Besides if Leonard is unproven, Lamb is even more. He hasn't shown anything that proves that he is a better prospect than Leonard. In fact, he contributed significantly less.

Who may be interested will be dependent upon how teams finish the season. If you're looking for an example then lets say OKC fails to win it all and with question marks surrounding their ability to keep Martin I think a Gortat/Dudley package for Perkins + assets would be of interest.

I agree with that although I do prefer keeping Dudley. He is an effective, professional player on a very good long-term contract.

I would do the Gortat for Perkins, TOR pick deal right now.

I don't see Leonard being much more than a hustle big so even if I can't get anything better and missed out I wouldn't lose any sleep. Similar to how I felt about not getting Hickson in a potential Amare deal in 2010.

I disagree. Leonard may easily turn out to be the next Gortat. He is big, mobile, skilled and quite soft. It will take years (just like it did at Illinois) for him to develop but centers with his physical abilities and skillset don't come often.

The Amare for Hickson, Z deal was different since it was essentially a likely half-year rental of Amare for the Cavs.

Hickson was a 2nd year player who had a quiet rookie season and was considered a lesser prospect to Leonard whose value is definitely higher right now than Hickson's was in February of 2010.

Besides in 2010 the Suns were a contender team and trading one of their best players would have made much less sense than trading Gortat now.

 

[Phrazbit]

After watching OKC they could really improve with Gortat. Perkins is so slow that his "defense" is basically to bear hug people and hope he gets away with it. he rebounds alright but might as well not be there on offense, and Thabeet is horrific.

I know they normally have Ibaka but he is their only average or above post player on the team.

I dont see them mixing things up because they're still playing well in spite of their center problems but if they did Gortat is a guy that could make sense there.

Gortat for Perkins awful contract, Lamb and OKC's late 1st? Or maybe a 2014 first from OKC seeing as we already have 3 in this draft. I'd love to get that Toronto pick from them but its unrealistic .

 

[sunsfan88]

Do those who were saying no way and "its a nice dream" and everything about the Lakers missing the playoffs when I first started this thread have anything to say now?

LOL

 

[AzStevenCal]

Do those who were saying no way and "its a nice dream" and everything about the Lakers missing the playoffs when I first started this thread have anything to say now?

LOL

Have they missed the playoffs already? If not, perhaps it's a bit too soon to gloat. I always thought they might miss the playoffs, I'm still not certain it will happen though. It's easy for a good veteran team to win every single game against the weaker teams if their season depends on it so the Lakers still need to drop a few games against the non-contenders before I'll start expecting the extra lottery pick.

Steve

 

[Neo]

Leonard was #11.

Do you expect getting a higher pick for Gortat? From which team exactly?

And Micheal Beasley was #2. We should trade him straight up for Kevin Durant. Once the season starts, what position a player was drafted in is about as relevant as how much runway you have behind you while landing a plane.

 

[JCSunsfan]

The best prospect for a Gortat trade is to package him with a bad deal (presumably Beasley) for an expiring.

This is just wrong. Gortat's contract is one of the most desirable in the league. He might not draw star level talent in return, but it is much more valuable than this.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Have they missed the playoffs already? If not, perhaps it's a bit too soon to gloat. I always thought they might miss the playoffs, I'm still not certain it will happen though. It's easy for a good veteran team to win every single game against the weaker teams if their season depends on it so the Lakers still need to drop a few games against the non-contenders before I'll start expecting the extra lottery pick.

Steve

Sorry to say, you are probably right. It looks like Houston and Portland are imploding. The Lakers gained two games on Portland in a very short span. Hopefully Dallas catches fire. This is far from over. At lease its a possibility and makes the season interesting.

 

[hcsilla]

And Micheal Beasley was #2. We should trade him straight up for Kevin Durant. Once the season starts, what position a player was drafted in is about as relevant as how much runway you have behind you while landing a plane.

It is obviously not but you had a great point with players drafted 5 years ago.

I truly expect someone soon puts up Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan.

 

[JCSunsfan]

There is also no need to dump players with value in order to dump bad contracts (like Beasley). The Suns are not over the cap, and quite far from the lux tax. There is no need to do this. If they do not want a player on their roster and they cant trade him, they should just release him.

 

[sunsfan88]

I have a question, if the Lakers miss playoffs and the Suns get the lottery pick, do you think trading the LAL lottery pick, Suns lottery pick, Gortat and Dudley is enough to get Kevin Love? Also, is he worth it?

Don't flame me, I'm just asking.

 

[95pro]

love puts up numbers but doesn't seem to get his team the wins or any closer to the playoffs. i say no, no its not worth it.

 

[Mainstreet]

After watching OKC they could really improve with Gortat. Perkins is so slow that his "defense" is basically to bear hug people and hope he gets away with it. he rebounds alright but might as well not be there on offense, and Thabeet is horrific.

I know they normally have Ibaka but he is their only average or above post player on the team.

I dont see them mixing things up because they're still playing well in spite of their center problems but if they did Gortat is a guy that could make sense there.

Gortat for Perkins awful contract, Lamb and OKC's late 1st? Or maybe a 2014 first from OKC seeing as we already have 3 in this draft. I'd love to get that Toronto pick from them but its unrealistic .

IMO, this is the most obvious place where Gortat would benefit a contender. The question is, could the Thunder make it worthwhile for the Suns.