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MongoSlade wrote a new post
It appears the #Lakers will attempt to reunite with Lonzo Ball this summer.https://t.co/hByNfTBmnV pic.twitter.com/VEgCcpEVjK
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) July 13, 2021
This offseason should be an interesting one for the Los Angeles Lakers as after a disappointing first-round postseason exit, changes to the roster are expected to be made.
Two things that the Lakers will be looking for are shooting and playmaking in order to take some of the load off LeBron James. One player who fits both of those skillsets is someone who Lakers fans are very familiar with: New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball.
Ball is set to hit restricted free agency and despite coming off a career season, most reports have indicated that the Pelicans are not intent on keeping him. In 55 games last season, Ball averaged career-highs in points (14.6), shooting percentage (41.4) and 3-point percentage (37.8) to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
If the Pelicans don’t bring him back, the Lakers are expected to be among the teams with interest in Ball, per Marc Stein of the New York Times:
“Expect to eventually hear of them searching for potential pathways, however obstacle-strewn they would be, to reacquiring restricted free agent-to-be Lonzo Ball for that reason.”
While Ball coming back to his hometown team that drafted him No. 2 overall in 2017 would be a great story, the pathway to make it happen is very slim.
First off, the Pelicans would have to be willing to sign-and-trade Ball back to the Lakers, which is unlikely in itself given the past relationship between the two teams. The Lakers would then have to pay Ball a hefty salary that could reach $20 million annually as well as send assets back to New Orleans.
Even if that agreement between the two teams and Ball was made though, the Lakers would then be hard-capped for the rest of the season. That means they would likely lose some of their other key free agents like Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker, who Rob Pelinka has made it clear he wants to bring back.
Additionally, Ball is expected to have no shortage of suitors this summer with the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Clippers already known to be among them. So the Lakers would also have to beat offers from other teams in sign-and-trade scenarios.
Pelinka has been known to take big risks since taking over the Lakers’ front office, so even though a reunion with Ball seems to be unlikely, it can’t be completely ruled out given L.A.’s need to add shooting and playmaking.
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![Profile picture of Jamie Sweet]()
lol, just posted something similar. AD at the 5? Ball back on the team? LT heaven!
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![Profile picture of Michael H]()
I wouldn’t mind having Lonzo as our starting shooting guard and secondary ball handler. He’s great in transition. But I wouldn’t want him as the starting pg. he still has difficulty running the half court offense. He also shoots a dismal 37.9 on drives to the paint. Still not a good finisher. The Pels moved him to SG and he thrived in that role. And his ability to guard the 2 and 3 make him a defensive asset as well.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Thanks, Michael. I agree except for the hard cap issue. I’ve wanted Lonzo back ever since he fixed his jumper and free throw problems. Whomever is the shooting coach for the Pelicans has done a great job. Lakers might look to see if he were available to fill one of their vacancies.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
You’re right, Jamie. LT Heaven.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
I especially liked this comment although I’m not quite sure of the logic behind the comment:
“Word is that the Lakers, on top of their well-chronicled need for more shooting, covet one more difference-making playmaker who would allow James and Davis to spend more time at power forward and center.”
I can see Lonzo affecting LeBron playing the 4 more instead of the 1 but don’t quite grasp the logic that Lonzo would help AD play more five, unless it’s the presence of LeBron at the 5 that helps that. At any rate, we need more James at the 4 and AD at the 5.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
Monty Williams. Leader. pic.twitter.com/5Ou3XmYiyq
— ESPN (@espn) July 9, 2021
Ayton immediately went out there and made big plays down the stretch to help secure the win after having a sub-par game to that point. That’s real coaching & leadership right there from Monty.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
This was the first game where Ayton missed the shots he;s been making all playoffs, got stripped numerous times for turnovers, and didn’t play at the new level he set. Great job by Monty getting him to focus. That was an impressive talk he gave Deandre. Very impressive. Thanks for posting, Mongo.
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![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
Monty’s been through some absolutely heartbreaking stuff in his life. Gives you a whole different perspective.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Tragedies can sometimes help build character.
That’s what seems to have happened with Monty.
I remember when he lost his wife. So sad.
Great to see him rebound and now be close to winning an NBA championship.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
New story: After an injury-riddled season derailed the Lakers’ repeat title hopes, the team is searching for a new head athletic trainer https://t.co/XLb0lIHEUP
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 19, 2021
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![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
These are the areas where the Lakers need to be flexing their major market, massive TV contract, outside the cap, Big D!ck Energy muscles on the rest of the league. No expense should be spared even to the point of excess & opulence.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Agree 100%. No cap space on this kind of investment.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
Who had (Michael) Jordan Clarkson going on his own personal 17-0 run on their bingo card? Looks like 3 Game 7’s for the weekend..
5 Comments-
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Is it me or is PHX going to the finals? Seems like they’ve been the most consistent team this post season. The effort is always there..
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![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
Ok…who had Terence Mann going HAM to bring the Clips back on their bingo card?
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![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
We gotta find us some “others”…
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Terrence Mann is what the Lakers thought they had in Kyle Kuzma.
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
LOL. Nice black cat, Sean.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
…Ben Simmons out here trying to intentionally foul himself out.
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What’s BS’s trade value at this point? They can’t keep this dude on the roster…can they?
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
Mike Conley is available to play tonight.
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) June 19, 2021
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
Quite the stat from @kpelton here: https://t.co/1KLTEfuhfx pic.twitter.com/vKUWU6qkIq
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 17, 2021
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
The Mavericks let team president Donnie Nelson go after 24 years with the franchise. @MarcJSpears: "Let's just be real: Donnie was fired. And the one guy who is upset about it is the one guy you really don't want to be upset about it. He and Luka Doncic are really close." pic.twitter.com/d8zE0GHPN9
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 17, 2021
Luka Doncic, from Slovenia with his national team, on Donnie Nelson's Mavericks exit:
"It was kind of tough to me. I really like Donnie. I know him since I was a kid and he was the one that drafted me. It was tough for me seeing that, but I'm not the one making decisions there."
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2021
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Washington and coach Scott Brooks couldn't come to an agreement on a new deal and are agreeing to part ways, sources tell ESPN. Brooks' deal expired after the playoffs.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2021
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Sad that nobody gave Juwan Howard a shot. Now they can’t even get a meeting with him.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
Paul’s status for the start of the Western Conference finals is currently up in the air, sources say.
Noteworthy: Depending on the medical circumstance, an isolation period could be shorter for a vaccinated individual. https://t.co/62r5bWzLOh
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2021
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss Game 5 against the Jazz tonight with a knee injury suffered in game 4, sources tell @ramonashelburne & me. His status for rest of series is in doubt as well.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 16, 2021
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
Freaking unbelievable. I wondered about Kawhi when he left the game and didn’t come back. The Covid Bubble Championship. Now the Covid Bubble Tax Championship.
Great job curating news for the blog, Sean. Keep it up!
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
ESPN Sources with @_Andrew_Lopez: After one season, Stan Van Gundy is out as the New Orleans Pelicans coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2021
2 Comments-
![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
The west is brutal but you at least gotta get to the play-in game. NBA changed the rules twice to try & get Zion to the post-season..smdh 🤦🏽
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![Profile picture of MongoSlade]()
I guess they thought going from nice guy Alvin Gentry to hard-ass SVG would shake things up. Nope. Bet they wish they still had Monty though.
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MongoSlade wrote a new post
The injuries to the Superstars continue to mount up and threaten to ruin the post-season. Harden just re-injured that hamstring again and immediately left the building for an MRI. Embiid is day-to-day with that meniscus. LeBron & AD already at home. Steph never even made it with all the injuries to his team. You’ve got about half of the top 10 players being affected. NBA might wanna re think about compressing another season.
Only good thing is that we’re gonna have Champ that ain’t never won it or hasn’t in a loooonng time (especially if the Mavs don’t make it)
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![Profile picture of LakerTom]()
No doubt that the league’s decision to reduce the offseason and shorten and compress the schedule contributed to the major injuries. Not sure if the teams and players who suffered would agree with the move in retrospect but it clearly will be a major factor in determining who will win the title this season.
Might have been smarter to have a normal offseason and then a shorter season but the league wanted all of its TV money so they had to have the 72 game season. Players and owners all agreed because of the money. There may be buyers’ regret from the Lakers but overall, the NBA got what it expected: another covid influenced unpredented odd season. Overall, the Lakers got a break in getting a rested and healthy LeBron and AD last year but paid for it with a tired and broken LeBron and AD this season.
Biggest problem is the Lakers made roster decisions expected of a team that won a championship and didn’t need to make any major moves in the offseason to threaten to threepeat. Unfortunately, they flamed out in the first round and now face a cap situation that will prevent them from being a player in free agency and few trading chips under contract to bring back an upgrade in the form of a third star.
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I’ve always been a big fan of Lonzo and love how he’s fixed some of the major flaws in his game, namely free-throw and 3-point shooting. I think Lonzo is a great option as a third star on the Lakers. His playmaking, shooting, and defense would be big pluses.
14.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.7 apg in 31.8 mpg. 3.1 3PM per 8.3 3PA for 37.8%
I lalso ove his outlet passing and the fact that he does not need the ball in his hands to have an impact. Great low usage option, which is good for LeBron and AD.
The problem is Lonzo is down near the bottom of the list of Lakers moves because it would hard cap us. If we can’t land any of the options that don’t hard cap us, then I think options like Lowry and Ball may be viable options.
I love Lonzo and would love him back on the Lakers but don’t see it happening. Hopefully, we won’t need to get that low on our big board that we have to hard cap ourselves.