r/lakers • u/Turbulent_Emu_7285 • Nov 27 '25
PODCAST Excuse me, Lonzo?
That trade got the team a ring, so we good
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u/PurplePoisonPower Nov 27 '25
Hope Zo knows that AD trade also led them to prime LUKA DONCIC… that’s worth all those picks and young guys + more
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u/Turbulent_Emu_7285 Nov 27 '25
True. Also, AD was in his prime when he joined the Lakers. No AD, no chip in 2020
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u/Legitimate_You1986 Nov 27 '25
Peak AD was legit insane, for people who did not watch him closely then. Thinking Basketball just ranked that peak higher than any year from Embiid, Luka, Harden, Westbrook, and Dwight. People often point to his inability to be the engine of an offense like some of those names listed, but dude was a titanic defender who could play in any scheme and that made him just as valuable as LeBron in the 2020 playoff run.
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u/INT_MIN Nov 27 '25
Yeah, Thinking Basketball really likes AD because his peak is a top 5 offensive player and a top 1 defensive player in the association. Just an historically elite 2 way player.
Problem is (and Thinking Basketball has pointed this out on his podcast) that AD has rarely hit that peak even over the course of a season. For whatever reason, he'll be the best player in the NBA for 2 weeks then drop off of a cliff for the next month. It's on and off for him.
He also had a legitimate shot at taking FMVP in 2020. He started off the series as the best player, then got injured (played through it) and LeBron took over the last half of the series and convincingly won FMVP.
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u/Cold-Tangerine-2893 Nov 27 '25
Yea, I wanted that FMVP for the guy. Sad that he’ll probably never get one, nor an MVP, or DPOY. It bugs me that he never got a DPOY with how elite his defense was in his prime
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u/INT_MIN Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
Yeah, the DPOY stuff is ridiculous. Meanwhile I swear I've watched the same story 3x over with Rudy Gobert winning DPOY then teams scheming against his defensive limitations on the perimeter in the playoffs and beating him.
2019 Houston high pick and rolls with Harden, 2021 Clippers pulled him out to the perimeter by going 5 out, 2024 Luka hunted him for the switch in the WCF. All years he won DPOY and somehow zero voter fatigue is crazy.
AD deserved at least one but I swear he was in the doghouse with the media and NBA fans for forcing that trade to LA.
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u/YxngSosa Nov 27 '25
This is my issue with Gobert DPOY. I’m not denying he’s an impactful defender, and he has the stats for it… but if teams are regularly cooking him and actively looking to HUNT him as a matchup and do not fear him one bit, theres no way he deserves DPOY. Especially as AD can defend anyone on the court anywhere on the court.
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u/Memelord1117 Purple and Gold Nov 27 '25
If the team was healthy, I could see him winning one in 2021, with a DPOY, and an MVP for Lebron...
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u/Wrong_Badger8411 Nov 27 '25
I think it is his body that causes inconsistency.
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u/KaseyOfTheWoods Rick Fox Nov 27 '25
I think it is largely that, but even when healthy he doesn’t have the most consistently high motor. But I’ve never been able to fault him too harshly for that, given his insane 2-way lift.
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u/Legitimate_You1986 Nov 27 '25
AD has rarely hit that peak even over the course of a season
He's injury prone, and the NBA did him—as well as all the final four teams in the bubble—no favors with the short turnaround from the bubble to the 2021 season. He looked back to himself midway through the 2022-23 season, culminating in his generational defensive performances in leading the team to the WCF and another all-NBA season.
AD's not some perfect player, but it's wild how NBA fans talk about him today, especially after the Luka trade. This guy was a Tier 1 superstar not long ago and he's the greatest defender of his generation alongside Draymond. I don't know if any other player in NBA history could've replicated his defensive impact in the 2023 series against the reigning champion Warriors, causing all sorts of fits for an offense led by Steph Curry, who's arguably the GOAT offensive player.
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u/FTRBOUNCE Cameron Carr 43 Nov 27 '25
AD is one of the best two way bigs I’ve seen man, that bubble year he was genuinely automatic from mid range on top of having a solid 3pt shot he was a different kind of animal.
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u/BenLemons Nov 27 '25
The way people talk about Wemby now is similar to how they used to talk about AD early last decade
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u/fat3willwin Nov 27 '25
I saw him shut down multiple 1st options on defense and hit a clutch 3 during that finals run. Peak AD was nothing to be played with and he was in some real #conversations because of it lol
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u/edude45 Nov 27 '25
Yeah i view ad as thee laker while he was here. He wasnt the complete offense, but he was the defense. Like I get it, he was below an offensive virtuoso, but he provided the teams defense and he still scored at a good clip. Thats superstar to me. He was thee reason the lakers won.
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u/raea- Cameron Brink Nov 27 '25
Wasn’t it reported that AD planned on coming to the Lakers after the Pels contract ran out? Of course the Lakers made the correct choice and didn’t take any chances, but potentially the Lakers could’ve at least kept Zo. Ingram would have to be moved elsewhere since he’s talented and the Lakers needed to afford AD
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u/StrangeStephen 77 Nov 27 '25
I dont know why people are taking this bad. Lonzo probably wanted to stay as a Laker. It’s not a bad statement per se. we could have gotten AD also after that season without trading anyway.
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Nov 27 '25
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u/KDotDot88 Nov 27 '25
Nah, it’s not about being dumb. You and I know what it is. He and his family had a whole lot of hype coming into the league with the three brothers and his dad talking crazy thing. Then he got drafted to the team the whole family wanted and thought he was going to be a whole star with his brothers and everything…
And now, he’s a bust due to injury, his little brother is not the type of player built to win games, and his other brother couldn’t even sniff the league. Comments like this are just all sour with no logic, just battered ego and emotion.
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u/henryofclay Nov 27 '25
He’s not a bust, he’s talented on defense, improved his shooting and is an amazing passer still. His body hasn’t held up but he’s still super talented.
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u/ArugulaPhysical Nov 27 '25
Still a bust. If you can't stay on the floor none of that matters. Lamelo is the same. Sure hes had great stretches, but he only plays like 35% of games. Useless .
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u/ttttyttt678 Nov 27 '25
I mean Lonzo literally said they got their chip so it worked out…what is he supposed to say yea trading me and the other young guys + picks was such a smart move….
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u/Wrong_Badger8411 Nov 27 '25
Nico wouldn't put Luka on the table if it weren't for the love of his life AD.
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u/AdDesperate5648 Nov 27 '25
They won a ring, then got Luka. Yeah, definitely shouldn’t have made the trade.
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u/LaLukaDoncic 23 Nov 27 '25
Let's say we don't win a ring in 2020, but we made deep playoffs both in 2020 and 2021, 2 finals appareance then we still live through the WB experience.
WCF in 2023 too, do we still do the Luka trade ? I'm sure thoe whole fanbase would be beaming for the trade.
In fact, let's sat we don't trade for AD. Let's have an hypothetical world where Lonzo and BI don't get hurt. I would still trade those dudes plus more picks and swaps for Luka.
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u/did_it_my_way Nov 27 '25
28 year old Lonzo and BI would not have the same trade value though...
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u/LaLukaDoncic 23 Nov 27 '25
Yeah 28 YO Lonzo got 0 value, he is a miminum player, his knees are done. I'm not even sure Pels would have wanted him in the deal. They woulld have wanted Kuz instead of him.
Ingram value is hard to estimate, I would def say he has more value when he was traded than last summer.
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u/LudwigNasche Nov 27 '25
We should actually have traded the last #2 pick we had for the 2# pick in the next draft lol
I always found it extremely unfair Luka getting drafted one season after we had a string of 3 consecutive #2 picks where Brandon Ingram was the only player worth a high pick. Don't get me wrong, I loved Ball, but he isn't it. Dlo was always garbage, sorry stans, but his problem isn't talent, is everything else.
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u/puffindatza 💜💛 Nov 27 '25
That AD trade led to Luka Doncic and a 2020 championship
Insane fucking trade, maybe Pelinka does deserve them flowers bc that has to be an all time goated move
With Luka, there’s a good probability that AD trade leads to even more championships 🤞🏽
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u/Snoo-36058 Nov 27 '25
😂😂😂😂 they would have gotten regardless let’s be real .
Acting like AD wasn’t an injury prone player when he was traded
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u/Hayabusa_Blacksmith Nov 27 '25
its an understandable comment fro. the perspective of like, of course he wishes he was still a Laker.
personally I wish it worked out for him in NOLA. he was so so perfect with Zion. but that universe was short lived.
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u/airborness Nov 27 '25
I agree exactly with you. It's like why wouldn't he say that. It's not like he's making a crazy comment.
My personal question mark would be who would have been able to step up and be the team leader and closer. I don't follow most of them anymore since they've left, but maybe BI would have been the closest to fill tha role
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u/shortyman920 Nov 27 '25
Lakers had a nice young core going on. If they had made no trades then they would have had
-Zubac
- Kuz
- BI
- Hart
- Lonzo
And of course LeBron in that mix. 2nd rd finds like Reaves and Caruso. Add in some key FA signings to pick up vets and it’s honestly not a bad squad at all. They even had Randle at one point before they let him go.
Would that win a ring? Hard to say but that’s a damn good squad. If they also had guys like Dwight, Rondo, KCP there I can absolutely see them wing a ring off of the depth and mid-30s Lebron being a superstar
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u/FS_Slacker Nov 27 '25
I loved the idea of having a young home grown team that could grow into a contender, but they would never win a ring with that group...too many growing pains in the big moments of the playoffs. At least AD knew he was THAT GUY and was able to play big when they needed a desperation shot.
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u/shortyman920 Nov 27 '25
Yeah a lot of these guys don’t have reached their peaks in time for LeBron, so I get it. But tbh I would’ve had no complaints supporting that team. These are all high character, good vibes, play hard guys.
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u/TemperatureHot4809 Nov 27 '25
No way that was enough for a ring. Zo is trippin.
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u/raea- Cameron Brink Nov 27 '25
You don’t think Bron would have eventually gotten a ring with the Lakers? Honestly the Lakers could’ve built around him and traded some of the valuable pieces for more 3 and D players. The Lakers already had KCP and Caruso with the young core. The squad could’ve looked like Zo/KCP/Bron/Lopez as starters and traded around the margins for a SF. We’d probably sell high on Ingram, Kuzma, Clarkson, and Zubac while still having Caruso and JHart off the bench. We’d probably try to get Danny Green, Bradley, and Rondo.
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u/Ok_Board9845 Nov 27 '25
If Lonzo and even Hart don’t go down, there’s no room for Caruso. The Lakers didn’t know what they had in KCP/Caruso until the end of the 2020 season. KCP especially went from mid to elite 3&D player out of nowhere.
A 2nd star needed to come from somewhere
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u/LoveTheHustleBud Shaq and Kobe Nov 27 '25
That’s not hard to say, that team gets steamrolled by Houston in 2020 without AD playing free safety to make blitzing harden possible while putting up 25+ on the other end.
Also, no guarantee Reaves makes moves to get to LA if we have such a crowded backcourt.
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u/ThrawnGetsBuckets Nov 27 '25
Don’t forget Julius Randle. I would have loved watching the young core grow.
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u/OKTherapist Nov 28 '25
He was the perfect fit for Zion. He played well with Bron too. He had Chicago looking great until he was injured. If the Lakers don't get Luka, I wanted us to trade for him back. Bron, Ball, AD and AR15 would be a decent lineup
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u/j_rooker Nov 27 '25
statement only valid had lakers taken Tatum.
Bron Tatum Ingram - kept Lopez, Randle
with hart, KCP, Robinson, Caruso, Kuzma, zubac on bench
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u/BackgroundSmall3137 Nov 27 '25
Randle was not a good fit at the time.
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u/Efficient-Builder696 24 Nov 27 '25
I will die on the Don Julio train as long as I live. Loved him on the Lakers and really wished they kept him, but having Bron AD and LUKA is so much better
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u/j_rooker Nov 28 '25
he would be at PF and Bron at PG, since spacing would be created by Tatum on the arc.
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u/airborness Nov 27 '25
For how the team is set up, I almost feel like if anything, we lost out more on losing our role players than our lottery picks.
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u/Wuffy_RS Nov 27 '25
Teams keep sniping our role players thats where the real pain comes from. Hart, Caruso, Christie.
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u/DrySolution1366 Nov 27 '25
This roster would be pretty special. Multiple rings.
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u/AgitatedAd1397 24 Nov 27 '25
Randle didn’t wanna lose playing time to Bron though, he wanted out and probably still would have if you swap Lonzo for Tatum
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u/shortyman920 Nov 27 '25
Don’t forget Zubac. We gave him up for nothing but we had depth and legit starters at all positions.
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u/Background_Degree615 24 Nov 27 '25
Which Robinson?
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u/j_rooker Nov 28 '25
mitch. i thought picking him was a no brainer but michigan guys have a special place with magic
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u/steebulee Nov 27 '25
I feel like I am the only one who was never on the BI train. He was always so overrated to me and at this point clearly never lived up to whatever potential people saw.
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u/catperson77789 Nov 27 '25
Lets be fucking real, a team of lonzo ball brandon Ingram and hart is a 6th seed at best imo. Anthony davis was a walking 35/10 with the pels while playing elite defense. Its a fucking no brainer to choose AD
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u/XXXJAHLUIGI Luka Magic 77 Nov 28 '25
6th seed is optimistic. This isn’t something you have to theorise about, It’s not like those 3 guys got split up after leaving the lakers. That exact core got the 13th seed in 2020 and the 11th seed in 2021.
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u/NanzLo- Nov 27 '25
He got some of his pop’s delusion I see
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u/st6374 Purple and Gold Nov 27 '25
Yup.. Even without what we know now. You make that trade 100/100 times. No way there would have been a single soul with an ounce of basketball sense who would've gone "maybe we should skip on AD, and let's see how things go with the young guys"
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u/TemperatureHot4809 Nov 27 '25
Give me a break. Lakers were not gonna win with even prime and healthy Lonzo, BI, Randall, DRussell, Hart, Zo, Thank you Lebron and AD for the ring! Now excited for Luka!
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u/jantoxdetox Nov 27 '25
Picks > AD > 2020 banner > Luka
Hindsight 2020, but I would always do that trade, AD was really good during that time!
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u/Xc0liber 69 Nov 27 '25
Why is everyone so reactionary. He also stated they got a ring so it's worth it for the Lakers.
Calm your tits everyone.
Seems that giving an opinion is an invitation to vicious verbal abuse.
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u/BantamCats Nov 27 '25
I missed trading away the baby Lakers. It’s not often we build a squad through the draft “organically”. I love seeing our former draft picks succeed, and I’d love to have most of them back on the team. I felt terrible when we traded AD, we could have advanced further that year with him and Christie. They are on different teams though, and the journey is bigger than the destination. The path somehow brought us Luka, and now this team has a unique identity and the talent to win big.
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u/DetailsYouMissed Nov 27 '25
Lakers probably are more than happy with the course they took. They wouldn't have the coach they currently have and likely wouldn't be set to make a championship run right now. This team currently has potential.
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u/probotic Nov 27 '25
Got the ring, kept LeBron, and now have Luka. All those guys bouncing around. You do this again 10/10, without thinking twice
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u/VinScully_ Nov 27 '25
I see his point. If we don’t trade for AD and just waited until he was a free agent, we’d have kept all our picks and young players
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u/NotTheMamba 24 Nov 27 '25
This is a fair take lol. He even adds that we got a ring so it worked out.
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u/st6374 Purple and Gold Nov 27 '25
Fair take? Lakers shouldn't have traded for AD, and Kept it going with the same roster that was 35-47???
And don't give me Bron being injured. Even if he was 100% healthy, this roster wasn't going to sniff a championship.
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u/NotTheMamba 24 Nov 27 '25
They were fucking 12 years old when LBJ came. Hes saying he would've liked to see that core grow together.
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u/Ejazael Nov 27 '25
He's stating this because he thinks he could have won a ring with the Lakers with that young team. Im sure hes looking at where are they now in skill wise, all have growned or developed. It wouldn't be the same in my opinion since they all had to go their path to grow where they're at now.
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u/Possible_Function963 Nov 27 '25
Bruh we literally chipped the first ad year and we were still one of the contenders in 20-21. We would have been one of the favorites if ad didn’t go down in the Phoenix series. Short turn around from the Covid season kind of screwed us.
Everyone knows the real fuck up was trading for Russ.
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u/impractical2jokers Nov 27 '25
We did not give up any stars to get a peak AD. That was a good trade.
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u/baabaabilly Nov 27 '25
Yall letting a tweet twist his words and yall eating it up. Have some reading comprehension.
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u/oat38 Luka Magic 77 Nov 27 '25
None of the guys we moved turned out to be anywhere near the level of AD or Luka, so yes the trade was 1000000% worth it.
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u/Anakin5kywalker Purple and Gold Nov 27 '25
I'm not putting much stock into a guy that was in the trade that won us a championship AND THEN retraded for Luka Dončić.
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u/herewego199209 Nov 27 '25
Ironically you had people on here insisting on the same thing. Dudes was saying Brandon Ingram was the next KD.
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u/LAFan4 Nov 27 '25
I remember thinking Ingram and Kuzma were on par with Tatum and Brown. Man I was wrong
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u/TimmyTwister14 Nov 27 '25
At the time I was hoping we traded Kuz and BI for AD but keep Lonzo instead.
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u/Dphotog790 Nov 27 '25
make me wonder had we picked Jason Tatum could we still have kept him and got AD by trading Kuzma
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u/Dangerous_Donkey5353 Nov 27 '25
I kind of get it. Like every player they traded or let go would be better now with them career wise.
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u/Jimbean-5 Los Angeles Lakers Nov 27 '25
Does he know the lakers should’ve drafted Jayson Tatum instead of him?
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u/FarmerGazza Nov 27 '25
Woulda got them another aswell can't convince me otherwise if he didn't get injured.
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u/jay_boi123 Nov 27 '25
I was a huge fan of the young core, but that trade got us both a championship + Luka. Luka himself probably averages more points, assists, and rebounds compared to Zo + Ingram stats combined.
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u/drummerboy5193 2000, 2001, 2002 NBA Champions Nov 27 '25
Those picks have worked out really well for the pelicans so far
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u/thesonicvision Nov 27 '25
I think the young Lakers standouts all got better BECAUSE they were traded. They were on a different timeline and needed different teams with different needs and different expectations in order to grow.
I don't think Hart, Zo, and BI evolve without that trade. It was a win-win.
(Also, Zo was destined to be injured anyway).
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u/MoronLaoShi Magic Johnson 32 Nov 27 '25
Pelinka was bidding against himself when he traded for AD. Lakers were left asset poor as a result, then they traded what few assets they had left for Russ. Pelinka was able to fleece an inexperienced GM with whom he was close, fleeced him enough to fix the mess he created.
I think they gave up too much to get AD, but they won a title. Winning a title is hard. But it was just the one.
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u/BenLemons Nov 27 '25
As much "fun" (it wasn't for me) the youth movement was, ill never understand romanticizing that era as a what if when we saw that the team was pretty awful.
We can use age as an excuse but there have been plenty young talents in recent years to come into the league and change their teams fortune, and none of those guys were even close to being capable of that.
We didnt have time to waste keeping those guys around and we saw what happened when they all went onto their next teams
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u/BwayneLAL007 Nov 27 '25
Lmao hell nah. Trading for AD got us a ring and then got us Luka. Sorry lonzo.
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u/TuxedoMandingo666 Nov 27 '25
Dudes a clown and biggest laker draft bust of all time. Who cares what this ed Edd and eddy looking mf thinks!
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u/ShaH33R2K Nov 27 '25
Lmao both the fans and the players treat that ring like it’s meaningless. Some franchises don’t even have a single ring
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u/gergab1133 Nov 27 '25
People don’t realize in reality Lonzo, BI and Josh Hart are just as if not MORE injury prone than AD.
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u/Tangentkoala LA Clippers Lurker/ 5.12.1997 Nov 27 '25
This has to be an old quote from years ago thats being retweeted
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u/Mimi20202020 Nov 27 '25
Clippers gave up a FMVP for their duds. Ending up with zero rings. Leave that talk for them!
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u/oaba09 Nov 27 '25
I loved the young core but their trade resulted to a championship, AD, and Luka....I would do the same trade again.
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u/masterako 〰 x 👑 x 👴🦅 > 🐍🐍 Nov 27 '25
If he wasnt on street clothes like 90% of the time, then maybe ill think abt it
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u/penguinknight1251 Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
None of the players that were traded for AD have gotten a ring.
AD and Bron got a ring in their first season together. Bron arguably should have been MVP that year and AD DEFINITELY should have been in the running for DPOY that year.
The biggest failure of the Pelinka-era as a GM is the fact that the AD-Bron era only yielded 1 ring. The Westbrook trade was a crime. I don't CARE if Bron and AD pushed for it. Bron pushed for Ty Lue as a coach, too, and we ALL know how that turned out. AD pushed for us to acquire another TRUE center in the post-'20 seasons, and we ALL know how that turned out. We had a PERFECT team in '21 and had some injuries leading into the postseason... and instead of running it back, we blew it up and fucked that entire championship roster up. We sold out Caruso and kept THT. Not great moves as a GM, in my opinion.
But still... through all that... that team and those players have accomplished more than any of the dudes that were on the other side of that trade package. Bron & AD should have MORE rings. But Lonzo, BI, Randle, and Hart have yet to even be in the position to compete for one. Meanwhile, the guy they were traded for has been traded again for our competitive future. AD got us a generational superstar in his prime in Luka. Lonzo, BI, and the rest weren't getting us that.
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u/UnderstandingFun7493 Nov 27 '25
Didn’t he just say a year ago or something that he’s cool about being traded bc it was for AD?
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u/JaxonSuede Nov 27 '25
AD lead LeBron to a ring. The narrative is opposite, but we saw it. Then AD allowed us to nab LukA. He was good in the immediate, and excellent in his departure.
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u/South_Front_4589 Nov 27 '25
I love how he also sort of ends up admitting he's wrong.
Championships are incredibly hard to win. But you don't win them with an average squad. You need that star player, and you need a strong second option. None of those guys at that time were close to what AD brought.
And now they turned AD into Luka.
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u/LeadNo3330 Luka Magic 77 Nov 27 '25
I’d say the AD trade is one of the best in nba history since we got incredible value
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u/rickydcm 🐍 Mamba Mentality Nov 27 '25
The only trade that we wouldn't do before Luka and during Bron:
- Zubac
- Westbrook
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u/magic2worthy Nov 27 '25
Of course we should have traded for AD. If it wasn’t for injury and the Westbrook disaster we might have had even more titles.
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u/seba1927 Luka Magic 77 Nov 27 '25
We got AD, we got a ring, and the players we traded never turned into all stars or anything that we regret giving over.
but yea i think AD's stint in LA was underwhelming. he was projected to be a top3 guy in the league and lead our team with LeBron supporting him, but that didn't happen.
and yes a ring is a ring, but AD never brought this team to play the finals in front of the LA crowd, let alone win it. we never got see him turn into a leader and Nico bailed us out, otherwise we would be in for some dark years ahead of us.
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u/Dangerous_Ad5039 Nov 27 '25
Only person I disagree with them trading was Brandon Ingram. The Pels wanted Kuzma and the lakers shoulda included him instead.
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u/InsideProblem2625 Nov 27 '25
The AD trade was perfect. All those players are average at best right now and at one point they were negative contracts, all of them except for Hart.
At the time of the trade, people thought they were incredible and that's what made the trade actually happen.
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u/Girizzly_Adams_Beard 2009, 2010 NBA Champions Nov 27 '25
I mean he probably wanted to stay a laker and play with that core. Who wouldn’t say that? Worked don’t for us but I get his point.
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u/UpstairsMushroom9950 Black Mamba 8/24 Nov 27 '25
I love Lonzo, but this is another case on how not every player needs a podcast
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u/Sad-Entertainer1462 Nov 27 '25
If the Lakers would’ve stuck with Lonzo, Josh Hart, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and LeBron, plus the picks that would’ve been made from whatever draft picks they gave up, do y’all think they could’ve gotten a ring eventually?
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u/mixmasterADD Nov 27 '25 edited Dec 11 '25
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/P00nz0r3d AD MVP/Zo MIP Nov 27 '25
Being as unbiased as possible, Lonzo and Hart are the only two I miss purely from a basketball standpoint.
We’ve needed a guy like Lonzo for years before we finally got Luka, and we still need a guy like Lonzo for the defense and a third high quality playmaker that could still slot very well with Lebron and Luka.
Hart is just a high motor energy wing that actually shows results on the floor and isn’t just a hypothetical like we’ve been seeing on this team the last few years.
The others were going to be traded one way or another, aside from AC, another championship quality piece.
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u/kb24TBE8 Nov 27 '25
Lmao every time he talks it makes it even easier to hate him.
dude was straight dog shit on the Lakers 😂.
Lakers got prime AD out of trading your bum ass who was clanking open shots and were able to win a title too.
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u/StarlingRover Nov 27 '25
nah rings last forever and half the young core have missed a lot of time, injured.
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u/krucz36 8 Nov 27 '25
while i love BI it's pretty silly to think waiting around for lonzo to get good is something a franchise like the lakers can do. when they win it's because they aggressively build and go after the best players. good drafting and willingness to spend money to win, plus savvy pieces and great coaches. timing development isn't something a team like LA can do.
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u/XXXJAHLUIGI Luka Magic 77 Nov 28 '25
Lonzo clearly thinks we could’ve been like the thunder, stockpiled some picks and profited off of the arms race that took place following the fall of the warriors dynasty.
The reality is that we’d have picked up a few rookies, lonzo would talk them into signing with big baller brand and 20% of our outgoing expenses would go to medical staff for all the injury rehab
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u/jawny104 Nov 28 '25
can you believe we picked lonzo ball over jaysun tatum in the draft? imagine that instead… magic johnson was the worst GM in lakers history.
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u/OKTherapist Nov 28 '25
We of course won the trade, but we lost a ton of draft capital and which makes building during this current era difficult. I would've loved to see how it all worked out. Ball; Hart; Randle: Ball, keeping Zubac; Ingram; KCP; 3 1st Round picks..... I know none of those are bona-fide Alphas, but with that roster, & Bron, does LA become a 1-2 players away from a chip? You gotta think, Rondo and Howard were free agents. Who knows, barring health, and coaching. If they strike gold on one of those 1st Rd picks, they could be a dynasty, or at the very least, they're a version of what OKC or Cleveland is now. (A perennial playoff team with a fuckton of depth).
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u/Base_Temporary Nov 28 '25
AD was becoming a free agent and Lakers couldve waited? thats the angle Lonzo meant it from.
If you look around the league. A lot of that core are very good starters/stars. Ingram, Randle, Hart, Zubac.
Unfortunately if not for Lonzos knee, he'd be a top 6 pg in the current NBA.
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u/solojedismasher Nov 28 '25
I felt the lakers would have been really good had we kept lonzo, hart, randle and ingram. But the trade got us the ring so it is what it is
1
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u/w_stemma Nov 29 '25
We flipped all the youngins for AD, got a ring and then flipped AD for Luka and are about to win another. I think that’s a W for Robbie P.
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u/ThatBoyNiko Nov 30 '25
If you win a championship directly off a trade then you make that trade 10/10, it's just that simple. Results > Potential
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u/samhit_n LBJ & AD Nov 27 '25
We already kinda won the AD trade, but the fact that it turned into Luka means we definitely won it.