Another Laker is staying with the team. Here is Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports with the report.
Free agent forward Jordan Hill has agreed to a two-year, $18M deal to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, agent Kevin Bradbury tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 11, 2014
My reaction? That’s a lot of money. Now I will never criticize players for getting as much paper as they can but this seems like a bunch of cash.
Maybe we can hope for increased production, considering the Lakers really don’t have any bigs beyond Robert Sacre and rookie Julius Randle. Hill averaged 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in under 21 minutes per game, all career-bests. While we love Hill’s motor, he tends to run out of gas pretty quickly since he doesn’t seem to pace himself very well.
Nevertheless, maybe he’ll learn to pace himself on an increased role. There were times where he looked absolutely brilliant, having a few 20-15 games under his belt last season. But he also got inconsistent playing time last season with Mike D’Antoni. Maybe he’ll get a lot of PT under the new coach, who we STILL don’t know as of this writing.
But, hey, we’re getting some semblance of a team now. Good for Jordan Hill on securing a job and getting that pay raise.
Shaun says
It probably cost us more upfront mo ey to keep him here compared to larger offers elseware
Either way …. this team will be aestetically fun to watch play
They just need to dump marshall …. clarkson already looking better than him in summer league … it hurts my eyes watching him play
Shaun says
Bruno from toronto also looking like the real deal
chibi says
goran dragic has a player option next year. he is only making 7.5M a year. isaiah thomas is insurance. great insurance. dragic is definitely opting out.
Paul L says
So basically Lakers “plan B” was to bring back everybody on last years 27-55 team at 3x last years salary. Awesome…
KO says
Pau Gasol turned down a two-year, $10M-plus per deal with the Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. Likely moving on.
KO says
Well we still do not have an NBA center. Andrew it’s time to practice your illegal parking.
Mid-Wilshire says
The price is a bit steep at $18 Mill over 2 years. But I’m very pleased to see Jordan Hill return. He’ll be turning 27 in about 2 weeks so he’s just entering his prime. I suspect that his numbers and productivity will, if anything, go up.
Also, the prevailing view that Hill runs out of gas — largely promoted by Mike D’Antoni who was NOT a Jordan Hill fan — is IMO a bit of a myth. Toward the end of this last season when the Lakers had no healthy centers on the team (except for Robert Sacre), Hill played extended minutes at the 5 as well as the 4 (bear in mind, he plays two positions). In fact, over the last 8 games of the year, he averaged the following:
29 minutes
16.6 points
10.1 rebounds
1.6 assists
1.8 blocks
Furthermore, he had games of 18 pts., 15 rebounds against Sacramento (DeMarcus Cousins), 22 / 9 vs. the Clippers, 18 / 12 vs. Golden State, and 18 / 14 vs. San Antonio. And he played 41:35 against Golden State and 31:01 against Dallas. So much for not having a motor.
Paul L says
At least Hill deal has 2nd year as team option. But still pretty bad when @ZachLowe tweets about how bad the deal.
“Jordan Hill getting $9M per year is kind of insane.” @ZachLowe
Shaun says
Kobe must be pissed … Melo not coming, Pau turned down an 8 figure salary and we will most likely not see the playoffs for the end of Kobes career
Maybe Pau signs with Houston along with Deng or someone else since they have 20+ in space …. gonna miss pau a lot … hopefully bynum maybe comes back and actually plays or we go after greg oden in a hope that he gets healthy
Fern says
Paul L Nick Young and Jordan Hill were some of the better players on that team even after that horrible season some players did good enough to come back, but i guess thats not good enough for some people, probably from the “yayyy let’s bring Melo and everything will be allright and honky dory” crowd, if Pau turned down the offer which was fair btw, he needs to go,bc if he thinks he is going to get 15 million or something like that good luck by all means, go to OKC or Chicago and do your thing big man, thanks for everything. team taking shape in a hurry, nice foundation like i said.
Nick Van Exile says
I like the Hill signing. It’s short-term (team option for the second year) and he definitely showed he could play when he wasn’t being jerked around (along with Kaman) by MDA. His per 36 minute numbers were pretty great last year: 16.7 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg (compared to Dwight Howard’s 19.5 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 1.9 bpg). Hopefully, he’s working on his conditioning because, as Darius pointed out, he seemed to get gassed at times. It’s also a very tradeable contract if something comes up in the future (his contract plus Nash’s expiring are in the range of a max contract). I would’ve like Pau being re-signed to a similar deal (so he could retire as a Laker) but it’s being reported that he turned down 2 years, $20 million.
With the Lin trade and the Young/Hill re-signings, that pretty much eats up the Lakers cap space. If they can fill out the roster with some minimum salary guys like Roddy Beaubois, Xavier Henry, Wes Johnson, Jordan Clarkson, and Kent Bazemore, that’s a pretty solid team
Craig W. says
KO,
If what you say is right, then I suspect Pau will want a sign-and-trade deal to maximize his salary elsewhere. Boozer and a pick would fit right in next year.
I think we could be a scrappy team next year and we may be establishing a foundation for the future. Don’t judge salary based on last year’s numbers, but what is likely to be the numbers in 2-3 years. That’s why I am not too disappointed with Nick’s signing – good future value shooter and he should be easy to move if we have an opportunity to get a superstar.
Mike K. says
Paul’s been smoking out too much with Swaggy P. Last year’s team featured a backcourt of Kendall Marshall and Jodie Meeks. I think it’s safe to say Jeremy Lin and Kobe Bryant represent several magnitudes of improvement. Moreover, Ryan Kelly came on strong the last half, and Julius Randle will provide some critical energy, hustle and rebounding from day 1. Add to that the still decent likelihood of grabbing something worthy back in the impending potential sign and trade of Gasol, and the rebuild has begun. Yeah, the Swaggy P. deal essentially closes the door on making a max offer next summer. But, on the plus side, this team will be competing for the lower rungs of the playoffs this season, and now features 3-4 quality young players in Lin, Kelly, and almost certainly Randle. Clarkson is a decent bet to provide value in 2-3 years. What do people expect ? A 1 year rebuild and then back on to the finals ? That sounds like Heat bandwagon expectations.
Paul L says
Fern
Your point is fair that Hill and Young were 2 of the better players last year and I get it that Lakers are just filling out the roster at this point but 4th year player option is going to look really bad in a few years for a guy like Nick Young. He needs to be on short deals to be motivated. As for the Jordan Hill deal, 9M is simply too much for an elite rebounder/energy guy w/o an offensive game and who is not a great defender. Hill’s deal isnt killer given that it’s basically a 1 yr deal. Off the top of my head, Splitter is getting around $9M/year and is a better passer/scorer/defender than Hill and a good but not elite rebounder.
As for being in the Melo crowd, I really wasn’t in that group. (although I know it’s impossible to prove that since I don’t often comment ) I wouldn’t have been against a deal for him since he had arguably his best season last year but like Young’s deal it would have likely been a bad deal in a few years.
Anonymous says
@fern lol pau is leaving because he wants to win, not to be stuck with the same team that had the worst record in franchise history. Re: melo, tell that to the front office, apparently they were willing to offer him the max.
rr says
Well, we are going to find out if Randle has the multifaceted offensive game that many here have claimed that he does, but that was hidden by how he was used at Kentucky. I think it is safe to assume that Randle and Hill will be on the floor together sometimes in small-ball lineups.
This also means that the team needs a center with some rim-protection skills on a very cheap deal. Epke Udoh, Emeka Okafor, and Greg Stiemsma might be guys for the Lakers to look at.
As to Lowe’s comment, 9M is a lot for Hill, but the deal is only for two years, so if things don’t go well this year, next year it will be an expiring connected to a guy who could help a contender. Still, the Young and Hill deals, particularly the Young deal, do strike me as Buss and Kupchak being in a little bit of a rush to get guys signed, sitting there with no roster and money to spend. I find it unlikely that any other team wanted to make a four-year commitment to Nick Young.
Kelly will play with Hill a lot, too, of course.
Nick Van Exile says
Hopefully, there’s language in Hill’s contract that bans him from having his hair in that bizarro top-knot style he sometimes used last year!
Baylor Fan says
Basically, the Lakers are in salary cap purgatory until they are able to sign the max free agent they want. They cleared cap space for this signing period and will have space again for next season and, if necessary, for the one after that. It does not make sense to do a sign and trade with Pau unless they are getting a player on a one year deal.
Fern says
@Baylor Fan it doesn’t close the door to anything because Nash and Lin expiring deals and u add Jordan Hill team option after next season the Lakers could clear a whooping 33 million next summer. Someone correct me if im wrong. And its so early in the FA period to even begin to guess where this team will be on the standings the Lakers are not done dealing and wheeling, good grief!!!
rr says
nice foundation like i said
I think we could be a scrappy team next year and we may be establishing a foundation for the future
—
Both of you were saying this over and over again when last year’s team was being put together as well. There are admittedly two big differences between then and now.
1. The 2014-15 team will have a lottery pick on it.
2. The team is finally out of long-term cap purgatory.
But committing 14M to Nick Young and Jordan Hill is much more about fielding a team and preparing to play out the schedule than it is about laying a foundation for the future. Young and Hill are the kind of guys who are generally going to be either role players on good teams or in featured roles on mediocre-to-bad teams. Paying them more won’t change that.
Right now, the Lakers have to hope that Randle can be a long-term starter and that Kelly can be a long-term rotation guy. Hill’s and Lin’s deals are short, which provides some flexibility, and Lin’s came with a draft pick. But that, along with some future cap space, is the extent of the foundation that exists at the moment.
AusPhil says
NVE – it is filling out the roster nicely, but as others are mentioning, there’s a REAL need for a C. As it stands, there are a lot of players in the PG, SG, SF area, and the “bigs” are Sacre, Kelly, Randall and Hill. Not enough roster balance yet.
mud says
looking good.
there’s a team coming together and it doesn’t appear to be too horrible. in fact, it looks like it might be watchable. the best part is, there’s still cap space in the future. the rebuild is moving along as it should. it would have been great to get Melo or Lebron(or would it?), but Mitch is avoiding being painted into a corner, so good things can still happen. if Murphy keeps his law at bay, this year’s team should be enjoyable.
Makman says
Nash -9m
J. Lin -8m
Hill (TO)- 9m
= 26M cap space min for 2015
Is Bynum an option at vet min??
rr says
Is Bynum an option at vet min??
—
Sure, if he wants to try to play.
rr says
Also, if the 2nd year of Hill’s deal is in fact a team option, then that improves it.
Fern says
@rr yes it is a team option and thank you Markman for clearing that up, i forgot that the Lakers only have to pay 8 of the 14 million Jeremy Lin will earn next season.
William Wallace says
Why do people keep talking about Bynum? His knees wouldn’t last 2 weeks!
Fern says
I know Wallace right? Lol
Baylor Fan says
The bottom line for the roster is: Just wait until this time next year and see who the Lakers can get! Hopefully, Lin can improve to the point where he is the solution at the point and Randle becomes an impact player in a couple of years.
LeBron left a Heat team on the decline for a Cleveland team that is all about the future. The Lakers need to become more like Cleveland to attract a superstar.
Fern says
Btw we are all witness to the Great Bandwagon Migration” of 2014, the one in 2010 was in the oposite direction lmao.
Chris J says
I thought we were getting Anthony and LeBron? It was guaranteed?
Jokes aside, I agree with those who say we need a rim protector. Pau was not that guy. Boozer isn’t either, so I don’t see the interest there; Id much rather see Randle get time at the four than Boozer. Let’s look forward, not back.
I am not sure what Okafor has left after the neck injury, but he’s someone whose name I wouldn’t mind seeing in the mix. I have to admit Bynum’s another guy of whom I’ve thought about recently, but I always had a soft spot for him. He’d really need to sell himself to Mitch & Co. before they’d sign off; his comments about wanting to be a Laker next season (to TMZ) notwithstanding, Sasha had said the same last summer and we see where his wishes got him. But if big Drew can show he want to play and has some health, offering him a low-risk deal may not be a bad thing.
But my hope is they look hard at Okafor first.
KO says
Breaking Laker News!
Lakers plan on signing up to play in the under 6’2′ Boys Club league in. 2014.
Fern says
The day the Lakers become more like the Cavs is the day i kill myself, the Cavs are the luckiest team in all sports and still cant win anything. Not a lot different than the Cavs before 2010, horrible ownership Lebron and not a lot else and nobody wants to pay there
rr says
nobody wants to pay there
—
I think Kevin Love probably does. We will see soon enough.
Fern says
Do they have the money to trade for him? Are they willing to trade Wiggins? Bc thats what it would take at the very least.
rr says
Bc thats what it would take at the very least.
—
Everybody knows that. Love has supposedly already said that he would sign a long-term deal in Cleveland if James were there, and CLE and MIN are already negotiating.
Craig W. says
rr,
As usual, we can agree to disagree. Last year’s team was put together to see what talent we could unearth. We did find some talent – 2nd level – but injuries simply decimated anything we wanted to do. The coach took the fall, but we don’t exactly start over. That is the take-away for me from last year. IMO, Hill and Swaggy-P were two players who we would like to have on our team going forward. I saw a comment that if we got one of the three players – Henry/Hill/Young – we would be doing well. We got two and the third is still out there, along with Bazemore.
Last year was the total rebuild and see what we have. This year is to sift through our experience, sign our players who we like, draft talent, and get a good free-agent or two. Well, we may have struck out on a difference-making FA, but we made a good trade and signed a couple of players we liked. So far, I think the front office has done well. Yes, we need a center, but there isn’t much out there in the ‘bigs’ department. We will see what happens.
It isn’t time to throw up our hands and jump off a bridge. This rebuilding is a process and we are now well into it. In addition, we have flexibility to make further changes as we go.
Sald0gg says
Our 14-15 Lakers will #KneelForJahlil
JB says
So if Pau is indeed gone, the depth chart is this:
PG: Nash, Lin, Marshall
SG: Kobe, Clarkson
SF: Young
PF: Randle
C: Hill, Sacre
That’s 9 players with ~$14 million in cap space left over and around $20m if they stretch Nash. Re-sign Bazemore and Henry to sensible deals and you can still attract a Monroe-level guy for $8-10 million and be able to field a decent (probably not playoff, but decent) team while retaining flexibility for next year.
I mean, that’s still a pretty bad team, but with just these moves at least it’s taking shape.
Braziman says
Big name FAs don’t want to come to blank slate, they want to come to a team with strong supporting personnel and a vision for the future. With these signings (except Lin, with his short contract) the Lakers are laying the beginnings of that foundation. Lakers are also wisely holding onto some players the fans already have connections to.
jerke says
As per Aldridge on twitter- knicks waived Odom today
Sald0gg says
So hill & young is a better foundation than thomas and lance at similar costs??
Robert says
Hill: This deal makes sense. I wonder if MD would favor the deal if he were still here?
Lin: Good deal, but it makes me feel like an ex-A list actor who can no longer even get a B role.
Young: What are we thinking here? What is the plan?
Byron: Jim seriously? Please ? I announced this 2 1/2 months ago. Could you please do the same?
Team: Wow – do not know what to say overall other than – how did we get here and where is the wormhole?
Lakers17 says
JB, no, we’re maxed out. Lin $9, Hill $9, Young $5.
Gurndogg says
How bout Blachte (guy that played for Wash. then Nets ) he was a pretty good C/PF plus he made like only a couple mil. last year he would be a great pick-up & maybe some what cheap.
Then there’s Mullens, O’Neal maybe gotta be some more.
Lakers17 says
I don’t think Lin and Young are the types of foundations that stars are thinking about when joining a team.
sT says
Well, Jordon Hill was the 8h pick in the 2009 draft, and Nick Young was the 16th pick in the 2007 draft, both lottery picks, not bad.
Lakers17 says
The Hill and Young signings weren’t really about building a foundation. They were about trying to put together a product that wouldn’t completely turn off the TV audience. It’s obviously not about winning a championship, which is not possible next year, and almost certainly not the year after next as well.
Their cap room next year, because of these signings, will again, only allow one max player, putting them in the same situation next year that they were in this year.
It’s obvious from losing Howard and now Melo, that the Lakers have lost the celebrity status they’ve enjoyed for 30 years. For them to induce stars to come here, they will need at least 2 legit all stars to come together. They need to keep the cap space more open next year.
Anonymous says
And this is a roster that’s supposed to attract the nex big free agent… Better preserve some cap flexibility haha
Lakers17 says
sT, LOL, true, but Kwami was the #1 pick when the Lakers got him. The only foundation he laid were bricks.
Nova Bahamut says
Monroe? why are people still talking about him? Is he really any good?
J C says
If we’re trying to look on the bright side…
This roster already has 3 players we didn’t have that should theoretically improve the team:
1. Kobe (missed all but 6 games- so that’s like adding Kobe- although we’re not sure how he’ll fare)
2. Lin – better than who we had last year
3. Randle – potentially a game-changer.
Add Clarkson now.
Retain Hill – good. 2nd year is a team option – good.
Swaggy – gets buckets, crowd pleaser, smiles for the camera. Likes being a Laker.
So actually we’re already better.
Shocked Pau rebuffed 20 mil.
Oh well!
We need to add one more guy – maybe a center – or Lance.
Then we’ll make s little noise.
Teamn says
I understand what some folks are saying about building the team and keeping good guys from last year, but are these guys (Hill and Young) the kind of talent that attracts superstars? I don’t know. Seems like one path to success is a young team that grows together and stays relatively cheap, preferably because they were high first round picks that panned out (OKC). A variant on that would be great young talent, augmented by one or two superstars that join the rising young guns (Cleveland). The other end of the spectrum would be superstars willing to take less to create room for a team (San Antonio / Miami). The Lakers really don’t fit into any of these models, at least in my mind. That’s worrisome.
Also, no chance for sign and trade with Pau, correct? Did the Lakers have to renounce his rights to fit Hill?
KO says
Robert
Relax Scott will be announced next week.
Lakers17 says
To borrow from the professor beer story, the Lakers are a jar of mayonnaise that was filled with one very large golf ball, and a little bit of sand. They couldn’t find another golf ball to fill it with, so they just threw in a bunch of pebbles, a bunch of sand, and it’s full. No more room if we find any more golf balls next year.
The moral of this story.
There is none.
But unlike the professor beer story, instead of beer, all we have left is a lot of piss and tears to fill our jar.
jerke says
Two best Laker offers to Pau: 2 years, $23 mill or 3 years, $29 mill. No longer applicable, obviously. He wants to play for a contender. – via bresnahan, twitter
Anonymous says
Since it’s clear the lakers are not going to contend in the next 3 years, will jim buss fulfill his promise of stepping down? That would be one positive.
rr says
It’s obvious from losing Howard and now Melo, that the Lakers have lost the celebrity status they’ve enjoyed for 30 years.
—
I think that one takeaway from what James did today is that the big-time guys will do what they want to do, based on who they are, so while the Lakers brand and the LA market mean something, it is better to start with the guy:
>Wilt had some interest in the movies and Jack Kent Cooke offered him what was at the time a monstrous contract. Plus the Lakers had West and Baylor.
>Kareem grew up in NY and went to college in LA, and he wanted to be in one place or the other. Kareem had already won big at every level, so the team not being great didn’t matter as much to him.
>Shaq wanted to be in the entertainment/movie business. And the team he joined was pretty good.
Magic, West, Baylor, and Kobe* were drafted. So was Worthy. Pau was acquired in a trade. Howard, as has been noted, had the Lakers on his wish list but never was really that into being a Laker. Love makes sense–he has ties here and seems to want to be more famous. But the gravitational pull of Planet LeBron may land him in Cleveland, and given that he has never played in a playoff game, Love will want to be on an immediate winner. Anthony forced his way to NY and was born there and seems to be deciding between the money/NY and a better shot at winning.
Durant grew up in DC and played one year of college ball in Texas. He has been in a kids’ movie, but does not seem to be a Hollywood guy, and digital media have changed that calculus in any case. If Durant actually hits the market, there will be 8-10 teams in play for him, including the Knicks.
None of this is to say that the Lakers should throw in the towel. But there is no reason to think that the next big FA will come here, even if the FO makes good decisions.
*trade right at draft time
Sald0gg says
We’re paying Nash, Lin, Hill & Young a combined $33M next year. I could not imagine a more horrendous situation. Guys I need many, many drinks. I have never in my life seen a worse day of deals for any team in any sport. Then seeing what Isaiah Thomas went for (under $7M/year). I want to throw up.
Lakers17 says
I don’t want to dampen all the optimism I’m reading here right now, but instead of comparing this team to last year’s team, we should be asking whether we better than the Smush, Kwame, Odom, Kobe team.
JD says
I am perplexed. I have defended the decision making by giving Mitch the benefit of the doubt, but I am not on board with these moves. I understand the logic: swing for the fences and maintain flexibility (1 to 2 year deals) if the big fish (Melo, Lebron) don’t come, but this is really indefensible.
The Jeremy Lin trade was as much as getting the pick as it was about Lin. However, it’s going to be in the 20’s. If you are going to make that trade why not ask for Terrence Jones, a young player who can help you this year and in the future? Then to top it off, we see Isaiah Thomas sign a two year deal with a 3rd year option for $7 mil a clip. A better player, one who was dying to come to the Lakers, signs for a cheaper price with a division rival.
The second move is more indefensible than the first. You turn around and sign Nick Young to a 4 year deal. Young is a good player, but what’s the end game here? Is it flexibility or is it putting a product on the floor? What we have here is a team trying to play it both ways and that’s why they will be stuck in the middle.
Then there is the non-move. You don’t trade Pau at the deadline and get an asset for him because you want to use him in a sign and trade. You now no longer have the ability to use him in a sign and trade. This type of shortsightedness is really indefensible.
The only move that makes actually sense is the Jordan Hill signing. With Pau gone you needed somebody in the pivot and I’m ok with overpaying Jordan Hill for a 1 year deal (the second year is a team option).
There’s really no cap space left at this point other than the bi-annual exception ($2.7) and the veteran’s minimum.
So much for Kobe’s Plan B….I for one do not see the end game here.
Hindi says
Sigh. Last thing I wanna do is watch a 6-10 overall pick slipping to the Suns. They might have two threads in their team forums running simultaneously: Strategies against their playoff opponents and who to draft with their 6-10 pick. Nooooo!
Oh well I woke up and it’s still 2014
Hindi says
#PlayoffsOrBottom5 go Lakers!
rr says
Last year’s team was put together to see what talent we could unearth.
—
That applies to Xavier Henry and Ryan Kelly. OTOH, Young, Farmar, Kaman, and Johnson all came here with track records and were brought in cheap, because, as Kupchak said to Sam Amick, he (Mitch) thought the team could win “in the 40s.” Farmar and Kaman, plus Steve Blake, have since moved on to appropriate back-up roles on winning teams. The Lakers have made a very questionable deal with Young that commits them to him through his age-33 season. Johnson, who is already 27, will probably sign a cheap two-year deal with a fringe playoff team that needs wing help, including, now, perhaps Miami. Kelly will probably play a lot this year, but his ceiling is rotation guy. We will see what happens to Henry. The Lakers still have a little money left.
As to Hill, as Lakers17 and I both said, the purpose of bringing him back was not to build anything; if he were seen that way, they probably would not have included a team option for next year. He turns 27 in two weeks, and he will probably have a nice year this year. Since the Lakers have Kobe under contract for big money, the TWC deal, and very few draft picks, going the 76ers route is not really an option. So, what they have to try to do is collect stray assets, like Houston’s draft pick, and get competent players on short deals, like Jeremy Lin and Jordan Hill, to try to keep the team watchable, and then be ready to move if and when the opportunities present themselves. IOW, they have to try to do what Houston has done, but without all the draft picks Houston has had. Morey missed on Bosh today, but the principles behind that effort were the same ones that landed him Harden and Howard.
But a foundation in the NBA is generally built through acquiring starters and second-tier stars in the draft or through assets acquired through moving drafted talent. Look at the second-tier teams: Indiana, Chicago, Portland, Memphis, Golden State–all of them have key guys that they drafted or got by trading guys that they drafted.
So the point is this: I don’t like the Young deal, but the Lin and Hill deals are pretty solid moves. But the Lakers don’t have a “foundation” of solid, projectible, cost and team-controlled talent. They have Kobe, a rookie, a second-year guy, three competent NBA veterans, and some open cap space down the line. Let’s call it what it is, not what our narrative hopes want it to be.
Teamn says
Bazemore to Atlanta?
rr says
What happened today, although I am OK with the Lin and Hill deals, reinforces my belief that Lance Stephenson would have been worth it. We will see where he ends up.
jerke says
W bosh resigning in Miami, sirius nba guys are killing Daryl Morey – he swung for the fences clearing decks for bosh and traded away his assets in lin/future pic and asik for cap space- only to be forced to spend it all to retain parsons max offer. For all the consternation earlier from people hating on the link trade because it helped the rockets – w bosh out the picture and the cap space gone to parsons, rockets got dealt a hard blow today.
Fern says
Panic much people? Jebus!!! If Randle pan out, Kobe comes back to 85% and Jeremy Lin do his thing ( which was a lot better than anything we had last season at the pg) the Lakers will not be as terrible as people are already making them out to be. The team is not even close to be assembled and people are whinning about it already. Most of the people that post here made a huge stink because MDA didnt play Hill enough minutes, that MDA was going to run him out of town that it was a shame blah blah blah and now he is back in a really team friendly contract and all of a sudden is a terrible decision. Same with Nick Young, people loved him, wanted him back and same thing, all of a sudden its another terrible decision and that they wont attract the coveted superstar, Lin got us a nice expiring contract and a 1st round draft pick that we didnt have. Young,Hill and Lin are good rotation players on any team good or bad, and Nash, Lin and probably Hill depending how he do this season would be gone after next season. those are assets and the kind of contracts the Lakers need to create flexibility. Nick Young had a great season and he would had commanded more money in the market and he took a discount to play for us. Seriously i dont know what else people want. And please dont count Vino out specially when he is feeling slighted and feels he has to prove a point. I didnt had any ilusions on a championship next season but the team will move fwd.
rr says
Then to top it off, we see Isaiah Thomas sign a two year deal with a 3rd year option for $7 mil a clip.
—
Thomas’ deal is four years.
Lakers17 says
JD, the end game as explained well by rr is that the Lakers are trying to put a watchable product on the floor. While my response to today’s events caused my friends and family to put me on a suicide watch, my Asian friend texted me “Yes, we got Lin!!! I’m subscribing to LeaguePass!!!” Uh, ok. But there’s got to be at least 100,000,000 Chinese who’ll do the same. Just by the fact that Young has a nickname Swaggy or whatever, that’s another 100,000 fans.
Shaun says
Look the nash, dwight trades killed us …. in total we sent out what like 4-6 picks and given nashs inability to play anymore we got killed in the trades
Kobes signing was a pure money move by the team since they need ratings
Welcome to the dark years …. hopefully kobe shoots 30-40 times a game and breaks some scoring records that we can celebrate while we bottom out as I dont see how we will be anywhere close in the west
Who is worse than us…. maybe utah? Maybe Minnesota? Thats it … lucky enough we get to play in the west where we should be getting crushed most nights giving us a good chance to keep next years pick
Teri says
The Lin deal is a good one. We needed a steady PG and while he’s not a star it’s only a one year deal. Plus we get a 1st round pick.
Not so happy with the Young and Hill deals. They are both rotation players not starters. For the money spent on them we should have pursued Stephenson who has a chance to be special.
Even if Kobe is healthy w/o a major move the Lakers are a .500 team. If Kobe misses significant time we will have a record similar to this season.
Patrick Lanigan says
Happiest team in league = Cleveland.
2nd Happiest team in league = Phoenix.
Sald0gg says
Fern the problem is that you don’t want to be a 5-14 team. We had a shot, albeit a longshot but a shot to make the playoffs if we snagged Thomas & Lance to deals and brought back Pau. In year 2 of a rebuild, playoffs are good. But we only get to keep out pick if it’s 1-5 so we want to be bottom 4 to be safe (incase an 11-14 team jumps like the Cavs did). I’ve always preached that there’s no benefit to being in the 8-20 range because you’re not good enough to compete for a title but not bad enough to draft a difference maker. We lucked into Randle who spent most of the year projected as a top 3 pick. Hill is a nice player and I like him, but who was outbidding us at $4M a year. Why go 9? Why not try to grab Lance after the Lin deal closed any shot of Thomas? And as for Nick Young, who amuses me, but is nowhere near a $5M player in the current NBA economy, why in the world would we givr him 4 years? Was he saying no to $11M for 2? I’d bet not. It just has the makings of a desperate team and it’s sad that we’ve gotten this way. We turned down a real shot at difference making FA’s in Thomas and Lance for tripling the contracts of 2 role players on the worst team in the franchise’s LA history. I’d argue that it’s the worst free agency day put forth bu any team in any sport ever and I can’t be convinced otherwise. With Jimmy Buss’ s karma, I’d bet we get the 6th pick
Chearn says
rr-“Young and Hill are the kind of guys who are generally going to be either role players on good teams or in featured roles on mediocre-to-bad teams. Paying them more won’t change that.”
Very well said!
BigCitySid says
Did any other team make an offer on Hill? I actually like him as a player. Completely agree w/ you Darius. Length of contract fine, but it does appear Lakers overpaid by approx $2 mill per…probably the price needed for the 2nd year to be a team option.
minorthreatt says
Good point by Sid — some kind of overpay was gonna be necessary to get Hill on what is, essentially, a one-year deal. If they don’t stretch Nash then it’s possible that overpay could cost us a useful role player. But that’s a risk I think they probably had to take.