The Lakers Price For Walker Kessler Is VERY Risky

The Lakers, they have themselves a day on, on Wednesday.

Like LeBron, Tuesday afternoon, he says no to them.

The Lakers, they turn around, they make a mega deal for Walker Kessler, pay him 4 years, what buck 30 in that range.

Quentin Grimes on a big deal.

Collin Sexton on a big deal.

Like, give me your view of the Lakers.

Like they went out and they just started spending on the first day of free agency.

Yes, because they clearly did not talk to any of these guys before.

They decided in the morning, they're gonna sign all these guys.

No, I, I listen, I, I.

It is a a a, I'll say this for them, let's, let's, I'm gonna reverse here.

I think Walker Kessler is a great fit for this team, great fit.

He provides exactly what they need.

They need a guy to stand in the paint and just change the way teams attack them.

So this Walker Kessler, whether it be analytically or just watch the guy, he's a very good defensive center, a great defensive rebounder, blocks shots, deters people from really attacking the hoop, and that is something that the Lakers have not had.

So that is very important.

On the flip side, also, I think offensively there's more to unlock with Walker Kessler because he's never had guard play that really gets him the ball in the right situations, lobs, etc.

Luca obviously is the, the ideal person to do that.

So again, I think the fit is great.

I also think the fit of Sandro going over to the Lakers, it's a Mau.

They got Mamu.

I think that left him out 4 years, $52 million for Mamu.

What a deal.

I mean, good player, but we're talking about a 20 minute per game guy.

I'm, I'm happy for Mamu.

I'm a little surprised, we'll see what type of deal that Rui Hachimura gets, but like, If it's similar money, I actually really like Rui with them, but OK, that's neither here nor there.

I think Bamu is a good player.

I think Quentin Grimes, again, I'm going surface level here for all these things.

Quentin Grimes fits in well, right?

He's a guy who can shoot the rock a little bit, defend a little bit, he does all these things a little bit, um, the contract itself a little rich for me, for, for him, but, you know, that so I think.

So, that, and then let's go to Collin Sexton, who I do think is a little underrated sometimes.

I think people forget that this guy is one of the better scoring guards off the bench in the league, um, and so if they, they, they did need some help with the guard play because of what happened last year.

So, OK, now I said all, aren't you, aren't you getting like, hold on, aren't you getting like Gabe Vincent vibes is calling section signing, like this is like they, they tried it with Gabe Vincent with like the same exact money.

And now we're gonna give Collin Sexton the same money and see if he can do what Gabe Vincent didn't for us for a couple of years.

Yes, but I, I would, I would just, I would say Gabe Vincent was a Miami Heat culture guy, bring him in and run the show.

This Collin Sexton is just, he's a proven scorer at this point.

He just, you know what you're gonna get from Collin Sexton.

They didn't really fully know what they're gonna get from Gabe Vincent, they kind of went for it.

I do hear it in terms of like, You know, apples to apples, you just have the money and, you know, they're not that big of a size difference and all that.

But I think just in terms of, like, you know what you're getting Collin Sexton, and that is scoring, that's just literally what you're getting.

Um.

Having said all that, whether it be the contracts they gave out, which include player options, by the way, which I am just surprised how many player options have been given out.

I, I, when we were in the front office with Atlanta, I mean, the player option was like the last thing you ever want to give out, because it just takes complete control out of the team, and the player gets to decide, hey, if I was really good, I'm gonna go somewhere else or ask for more money.

If I'm bad, well, you're gonna have to pay me.

So it's, it's, it's a, you're giving away a lot by doing a player option.

But the deal for Walker Kessler, Chris, like.

They gave up a lot, a lot.

That is a lot for a restricted free agent, and I know they wouldn't.

Let me, let me just, let me, let me give it to the people.

Let me give it, so in case you didn't, didn't see this, the Lakers in this Walker Kessler trail, in addition to give him a 4 years, $130 million deal, which the Jazz were not gonna do, they were looking at 5 years, $130 million from what I was told.

Um, they, they are getting back a 2031 and 2093933 unprotected first-round pick and pick swaps in 20208 and 20,930.

So if for whatever reason, the Luk Aanic era does not go the way Lakers hope it will, uh, there's a chance that this, this Jazz team is gonna walk away with some premium draft picks in exchange for Walker Kessler.

Yeah, and I, I, it's just.

So first of all, for the Jazz perspective, they, they traded for Jan uh Jaren Jackson Junior, and made this team with the assumption that Walker Kessler was gonna be part of this.

They really did do it thinking that this guy was gonna be the guy that kind of locks down a center position, Jaren Jackson Junior doesn't have to play center, they get the rebounding, get the shot protect, they, they create this huge front line, so.

That was in mind, so they have to pivot, and what an incredible pivot, like, to bring in that hall.

Think about what you can acquire with those now, if you would like to, right?

So, you have all this draft stash, you pretty much just take back whatever you got for what you sent away for Jaren Jackson Junior when you send away Walker Kessler, and it's just.

For the Lakers, you gave away pretty much your whole draft stash of assets for this guy, and again, I really like Walker Kessler, the player, do not get me wrong, um, and on a 4 year deal, I don't mind the money, it's not, it doesn't, it doesn't bother me, the money, I think, isn't there a player option on this one too?

So it's really a 3 year deal, yeah, yeah, so.

I think at the end of the day though, Chris, I like you're pretty much saying, correct me if I'm wrong, like they're saying, Luca, Austin, and Walker for the next 3 years are our core.

That's just, that's just, that is our core, and we're gonna put players around him, but there is no young player they're hoping to develop into somebody .

They're literally just saying, we will put some guys around you, give them $15 million a year, and this is our group.

And that's just not the most exciting when you're playing in this, forget going for a championship.

I'm just saying going straight for the through the west , you're going against teams that are just better than that.

I've said this many times and maybe you experienced this working in Atlanta, but I've always felt that Danny Ainge and I guess probably Austin's inherited this trait.

They smell desperation better than any executives in the game today.

Maybe Sam Presty does it pretty well.

Um, as well, but like they clearly sniffed that on the Lakers.

And I would love to know like what the first offer the Lakers made for was finally the resulting offer of basically 4 first-round draft picks in exchange for Walker Kessler, who you're right, the Jazz like, they were trying to re-sign him, but they can.

Replace him.

They already have a pretty big front line as it is, and they can use this draft capital to go out and get something else that they need.

I love this deal in every possible way for Utah.

And if you're the Lakers, it better work, man.

Walker Kessler better turn out to be a Derrick Lively type.

Someone that fits next to Luka Doncic and turns into the player they need him to be.

Now, the reason that the Lakers have this flexibility is that LeBron James told them that he was going somewhere else.

Um, LeBron James is now a free agent, a full free agent for the first time since 2018.

Uh, if you were in a front office right now and you're hearing some of the things that LeBron's team is kind of putting out there, that it's not about the money, it's about happiness, it's about the location, about, you know, giving you a chance to win.

That it's not going to be about money this time around.

Like what, what's going off in your head right now as you're thinking about whether or not LeBron is really in play?

Well, first of all, whenever a player like this says something like that, or if it's not even it's public, that's, and this is incredibly public, but if we get, if you catch wind that Kevin Durant is unhappy with this team and looking to maybe move or something like that, as a front office, you absolutely all talk and say, hey, reach out to his representatives and see if I'm on their list, because these guys are at the point in their career, like.

They get to pretty much choose who they're going to, especially if he's not going for big money.

If he's saying, hey, I'll take the mid-level or I'll take a minimum, etc.

like that, like, every, every team in the league will call, every team in the league will call Rich Paul, because they all have their relationship with him in some way, and they'll say, hey, are we on LeBron's list?

Because it's not like LeBron's going into this being like, all right, Sacramento Kings, pitch me.

Come on, he knows the teams that he'd be interested in, and I would actually be surprised if he really doesn't think of who he's going to right now, and then maybe he's hoping someone else can change his mind if something else happens, etc.

etc.

But I think he wants to be courted, and I think the whole group wants that whole situation, but like, every team in the league is calling and saying, am I on the list?

We did that with the Hawks.

Anytime a big name person would come out there, we'd be like, hey, I wanna know, are we trying to figure out a strategy to trade for this guy because we.

I want to know if will he re-sign with us?

And that's what it always comes down to the power of a player is about Giannis, for instance, would he resign with that team?

Kawhi, would he resign with that team?

So, that's what all front offices are going through.

Now, certain front offices have always known they're in position if this were to happen, and that turns straight to Golden State, for instance.

Golden State understood that.

Coming up into this year, if LeBron James were to become a free agent and want to move, there's only a few teams that actually can pay him more than the mid-level, and one of those were the Lakers, and the other ones are not good teams, right?

So.

Where's LeBron gonna go?

And they say, hey, we have a good shot at this, so let's put ourselves in position for this.

And that's what uh a lot of these front offices have done, um, and when you look at Miami and you look at Cleveland, they've known for a while, pretty much the mid-level is not pretty much an option for them, especially if you get Giannis, if you blah blah blah blah.

So, if LeBron's coming here, it's a vetman, and Chris , this is one of those rare circumstances where literally.

It's LeBron who will say, I'm coming to you, rather than a front office being like, will you please come to us?

He gets to choose, and no front office is gonna be like, you know what, hm, not for me, like, that's not gonna happen.

So really, it's LeBron just calling a team, being like, yeah, I'm coming to you, and they go, OK.

Yeah, and then they throw a party because you're getting a top 25 player at a premium discount.

Whether it's the $6 million exception, the $15 million exception, somewhere in between, you're getting a guy whose value will vastly exceed the salary that you're paying him and you're able to continue to build around the team that you had.

You don't have to blow up your team, which is the problem with so many deals, including the Jalen Brown, you know, situation that we'll, uh, we'll get to.

Um, I gotta still believe because I was not born yesterday in a turn-up truck.

I gotta still believe that Golden State is a front runner here.

Just because like, The Draymond Green decision to opt out doesn't happen in a vacuum.

And you don't go to Draymond Green and talk to him about this.

You go to Draymond's representative who happens to be Rich Paul and you talk to him about this.

So, I refuse to believe that the Warriors don't at least feel like they're in play here, very much in play here because, yeah, I mean, the Porzingis extension which was To me, kind of insane.

Like who are you bidding against for Christa Porzingis at 2 years, $40 million.

But you give him that and all, and I guess like just reading Bobby Marks' stuff like that takes the, that $15 million dollar mid-level off the table.

But I gotta believe they can find a way to make it work financially uh for LeBron and Draymond did this for a reason.

Now , he'll probably get rewarded for it regardless, you know, multi-year deal, get him more money, more guarantees, all that good stuff, but You know, I heard Brian Winter say this on TV like they operated with intent, like they did something.

They made, they were proactive in making a move.

When you saw the Draymond opt-out and then the subsequent LeBron decision not to leave, how do you read or to leave?

How do you read that?

Well, I think it's a big point you make is that they share the same agent, right?

And so that that matters.

I do not think, I do not think LeBron or his group said, hey, we're coming to Golden State, opt out.

What I think is happening, and the Warriors worked with Draymond on this, they're working in, you know, in tandem on this.

They said, hey, if you opt out, we at the very least, will give you your money back of what you opted out of, if we can't figure out something else.

In the meantime, we can either extend you, we can work on things, but wink wink will go back to the deal that you opted out on, if not, and at the same time, this just opens up a world for us.

And Draymond is a guy, he's super competitive, and obviously he wants his money, he should, that's what that's, that's why wouldn't he?

But he also realizes that this is important to him.

He wants to be on a team that's competitive, and they only have so many options to do so.

And so, for him, I mean, it was just too easy for him to do this because really there's.

No risk for him, honestly, because if you have an agreement with the Warriors, uh, unless the the Warriors aren't gonna stab him in the back.

So, unless you, if you have an agreement with the Warriors that you'll get your money, we'll figure this out, we'll agree on this together, then yeah, like, he did something in coordination with his agency, who then says, LeBron, hey, this is a real option for you to go to the Golden State Warriors, and to your point.

Yes, they know they're one of the front front runners.

It's not like uh they know they're one of the front runners, but they also know that they have no idea what's about to happen, because LeBron has not made his intentions clear, he's sitting on sitting on it, he's thinking, and to be clear, like, through his career, every time he's made a huge decision, a lot of teams did not know he was gonna choose them, right?

So like.

Did, did at some teams like, did Miami think that like, oh, I think we got something here blah blah, yeah, of course, but like at the end of the day, LeBron, he likes the drama of this, he enjoys this, this is something that he's good at, and to to his credit, look what we're talking about right now, like he, he, the NBA will miss.

LeBron James and what he brought to the media cycles because it is pretty impressive how he can like command attention like this.

At 41 years old, it's downright remarkable and I, I don't know when this is going to resolve itself, but it doesn't sound like they're in any kind of rush to do it.

So I would expect it to be days if not weeks maybe, but like, do you know what's interesting about that, Chris, though, like.

If LeBron wants to go to the Warriors.

Like he probably should resolve it sooner, because they have work to do, and they need to figure out the money part of this, and it is a funny concept that like, if he truly is willing to take the vet men on other teams.

Then, if he really is serious about trying to make this team as good as Babble, he should take the vet men on the Warriors too, and not try to push for the the mid-level, etc.

right?

So, like, all this will play itself out, but if he's taking the vet men, yeah, play your time, take your time, it's all good.

But if he actually wants a mid-level, the Warriors have some work to do, and the minute you take a long time, they need to clear out space, they need to move this guy, they need to move that guy, and all that goes away, more pressure on them, etc.

etc.

so.

He can take his time, but like, the more time he takes, it's more like, you start wondering, is it a Golden State situation or is he going somewhere else on the vet min?

I, I have a hard time seeing him take the vet min.

I, I think he'll, he'll settle for an exception and even that would probably be hard to stomach.

Like if you're in Golden State and you're looking at poor Zingis being like, that guy makes $5 million per year more than me, like what?

Um, but I, I do think, and this is what a lot of people around the league that I've talked to kind of think.

I think he's resolved himself that like, whether it's 15 million, 6 million, he's not going to get tied down on money.

Uh, but the vet min is, I mean, I guess the vet min for him at 20 something years.

What is that vet min?

Is it like 4?

Like what is it?

5?

What is, what is, I mean, if you play your 24th year and you're still one of the top players in the league, I feel like the vet min should be like an exemption for him.

Like it should be 20100%.

Like you should if for now on, I'm changing the CBA that says if you're in your 24th year in the league and you just led your team to an upset over a number 2 seed in the playoffs, I think you get your vet min is around $20 million.

That's my CBA.

Yeah, that, that would make sense.

I mean, look, 20 million is you and I both know, he's worth way more than that.

Like the attention he brings to that team, the tickets he sells, the interest he drives, he pays for that 10 times over at least.

Um, let's just graduate to kind of what makes the most sense here because you can talk yourself into a lot, especially when money is not the object.

You can say Golden State, pair with Steph, pair with Draymond.

I still think the AD stuff is pie in the sky, but whatever.

Uh, Miami, a reunion there, hey, You know, Giannis and they desperately need bodies now that Norman Powell is gone.

That was a, a kick in the teeth, I'm sure.

Um, Cleveland, obviously, the narrative is there.

The team I keep going back to though is Denver .

Like I've been thinking about Denver for LeBron for years now because I've had this conversation with Tim Conley and maybe you have as well.

Like Tim Conley.

It was Tim Conley's like wet dream to get LeBron James in Denver.

Like he was invested, Grant.

He was trying to get that guy.

He tried to trade for him years ago.

He tried to get a meeting with him as a free agent.

Like he wanted LeBron James alongside Nikola Jokic.

Now, a lot has changed in them, not the least of which is Tim is no longer there.

He's actually Minnesota, which is another team that could pursue him.

But I, I just look at Denver, it's like, You know, Jokic and LeBron, two of the highest IQ players that have ever played the game.

Murray, more pressure taken off him.

You've already got Cam Thomas there or, you know, doing his thing.

or Cam Johnson, not Cam Thomas.

Cam Thomas is nowhere at the moment.

Um, you've got, you've got guys that can kind of fill in the cracks.

Like, I feel like LeBron.

If he'd wanna play in Denver, I think he'd be a great fit in Denver.

When you look at the best fits out there for him, the place that makes the most sense, where do you see him?

First of all, I completely agree with you.

I think it really comes down to how much is like actually winning a championship is number one drive, because if winning a championship is his number one drive, San Antonio makes the most sense to me.

San Antonio, he walks straight in there, he's the veteran presence, he's the guy that leads this team and coupling him with Wembayama, I, I just.

That one is just a shoe-in.

He fit like his position fits perfectly into that team.

That's a wrap.

That's a wrap on.

That's a wrap.

He goes to San Antonio and adds all of his ingredients to that mix.

That's a 70-win team.

Like that's a wrap.

What do we, like, what do we even, you know, we're talking about, I, I think a great fit for San Antonio right now is Rui Hachimura, and I was like, oh wait, instead you can get LeBron James, like, come on, like, what are we talking about, right?

Now, Denver, I do agree also, but this is where I'm saying is like, that's the same level to me of, he, if he's choosing one of those places, he's saying, hey, I'm the, I'm the final ingredient to win a championship, and that's what's important to me, right?

But that does change his lifestyle, right?

That you also have to incorporate those things, and whether you care about it or not, or narratives, etc.

he cares, he cares about his legacy, right?

He cares about what this final chapter will be.

So, he needs to understand, or he will, how does he want to narrate this final chapter?

What does it mean?

And because he will, his people are very intentional about the way he is viewed, right?

So, if he chooses to go back to Miami, for instance, then you can be like, oh, it's his return to Miami, he's closing out the chapter, he was with Giannis, he wants to give it one last go.

If he returns to Cleveland, obviously he's going home, blah blah blah.

The interesting one to me is Golden State, because I don't know.

It'll be interesting how they would form that narrative, Chris, because like , he's always admired Steph, and they play well together, we saw the Olympics, he's always been friends with Draymond, he, he got coached by Steve Kerr, but like the Warriors represent something to his career that is so, I mean, it's his nemesis, technically speaking, like, if the Warriors didn't exist, LeBron may have multiple more titles.

And so, it is an interesting one to me.

I think it makes the most sense for his living situation.

I think he could live in LA mostly and just come back and forth to the bay, and you don't have to move your family across country, you don't have to do this, do that.

I think he fits incredibly well with Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

I just, I, I love the fit between those guys.

When Jimmy Butler's back too, I mean, yeah, shooting could be an issue, but you're talking about some of the smartest veterans ever, like in the history of basketball on a court together.

Um, all those make sense, but I'm just curious about the narrative, because they also wouldn't be the, like, they wouldn't be favorites to win a title, and maybe he likes that, maybe he wants to kind of be almost an underdog a little bit, but like, in your mind, Chris, like.

A 1, how does that hurt his legacy or help his legacy, or what does it mean the narrative, and B, like how good are they actually, if LeBron James goes there.

I don't think they're as good as any of the top, at least 2, maybe 3 or 4 teams in the Western Conference because you're not gonna get all 82 games out of LeBron, out of Steph, out of Draymond.

You've got to load manage them.

You've got to cross your fingers and hope that poor Zingis is healthy.

You got to cross your fingers and hope that Al Horford can give you 1 more year.

There's just a lot of question marks on that team.

Like on a video game screen, it's cool.

And maybe in a first-round playoff series, they're tough, but It's a long grind of a season that they're gonna have to go through to get to the postseason.

I don't, I don't look at them as being a top-tier team.

Legacy-wise.

Like Cleveland's the only place that affects his legacy.

Like he goes back to Cleveland one more time and delivers a championship.

That is the chef's kiss.

That is the cherry on top for LeBron James.

That does it.

But win or lose in Golden State, who cares?

Win or lose in Denver, uh, Miami, San Antonio, like I don't think that affects his legacy positively or negatively.

I think the book is closed when it comes to, uh, To some of these other teams, well, well, I would say though, if he actually won a championship in Golden State with that team, that would help his legacy a little, that, yeah, I, I just, I just can't see it, you know, it's like, no, no, the chances of it happening are very low, but like.

That's the one, because the other ones are just stacked teams.

Um, Miami, though, I could see that being a big deal, you know, Miami going back and, and getting that team back to a championship.

But Golden State to me, if you, if you win a championship there, the, the lure of LeBron James to then be intertwined into the Golden State Warriors lore is hilarious to me.

So I, I don't know, I think it'd be so entertaining to see it happen, but You know, that's just, yeah, that's just me just enjoying the whole NBA media cycle a little bit.

Has anybody had their jersey retired in 4 different cities?

Like he wins a championship in the bay.

Did they raise number whatever he's rocking to the rafters?

I don't know.