Lakers to make big push for Bledsoe?

[Buckets]

"Speaking of the Suns, I was told the Los Angeles Lakers might go hard after Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, who is out the rest of the season with a knee injury. Bledsoe will be a restricted free agent next summer, but I'm told the Lakers might be willing to overpay him to pry him away from Phoenix."

- ESPN Insider

[wailuaFC]

please no

[kobeunderbite]

please no

Why please no? It's a great idea.

Trade Pau and some garbage for Bledsoe, re-sign, draft Wiggins, boom, we got a future going.

Kobe-Bledsoe-Wiggins with a max slot PLUS next offseason.

[kobeunderbite]

Oh just straight-up signing him?

Even better.

[wailuaFC]

please no

Why please no? It's a great idea.

Trade Pau and some garbage for Bledsoe, re-sign, draft Wiggins, boom, we got a future going.

Kobe-Bledsoe-Wiggins with a max slot PLUS next offseason.

Id be ok with a trade, but I dont want the lakers to overpay for anyone. We need to keep cap space open for westbrook/love/Durant?

[AlaskaHawks]

Nice. I like Bledsoe a lot. That would be a sweet pickup.

[kobeunderbite]

please no

Why please no? It's a great idea.

Trade Pau and some garbage for Bledsoe, re-sign, draft Wiggins, boom, we got a future going.

Kobe-Bledsoe-Wiggins with a max slot PLUS next offseason.

Id be ok with a trade, but I dont want the lakers to overpay for anyone. We need to keep cap space open for westbrook/love/Durant?

Not getting Westbrook or Durant, but Bledsoe would not in any way inhibit us from signing either one of them, or Love, or any max player.

The offseason after next when Love is a FA, the Lakers have room for two max players. Wouldn't change with Bledsoe and a top pick on board.

[wailuaFC]

Why please no? It's a great idea.

Trade Pau and some garbage for Bledsoe, re-sign, draft Wiggins, boom, we got a future going.

Kobe-Bledsoe-Wiggins with a max slot PLUS next offseason.

Id be ok with a trade, but I dont want the lakers to overpay for anyone. We need to keep cap space open for westbrook/love/Durant?

Not getting Westbrook or Durant, but Bledsoe would not in any way inhibit us from signing either one of them, or Love, or any max player.

The offseason after next when Love is a FA, the Lakers have room for two max players. Wouldn't change with Bledsoe and a top pick on board.

I honestly think westbrook will play in LA if we can get love. Those two are good friends (got to meet them and collison when they all played at UCLA together) and I think as long as we have the cap space, itll happen.

[kobeunderbite]

Id be ok with a trade, but I dont want the lakers to overpay for anyone. We need to keep cap space open for westbrook/love/Durant?

Not getting Westbrook or Durant, but Bledsoe would not in any way inhibit us from signing either one of them, or Love, or any max player.

The offseason after next when Love is a FA, the Lakers have room for two max players. Wouldn't change with Bledsoe and a top pick on board.

I honestly think westbrook will play in LA if we can get love. Those two are good friends (got to meet them and collison when they all played at UCLA together) and I think as long as we have the cap space, itll happen.

He's signed through 2017. Three more seasons after this. Not happening.

[wailuaFC]

Not getting Westbrook or Durant, but Bledsoe would not in any way inhibit us from signing either one of them, or Love, or any max player.

The offseason after next when Love is a FA, the Lakers have room for two max players. Wouldn't change with Bledsoe and a top pick on board.

I honestly think westbrook will play in LA if we can get love. Those two are good friends (got to meet them and collison when they all played at UCLA together) and I think as long as we have the cap space, itll happen.

He's signed through 2017. Three more seasons after this. Not happening.

I thought his contract was up the year after love's was? Either way, I see westbrook being a much, much better player then bledsoe, and with love in LA I think there is a great chance we could potentially get him. Id rather pay top dollar for a top player, then pay top dollar for just a good player

[Max]

Yes fucking please.

[kobeunderbite]

I honestly think westbrook will play in LA if we can get love. Those two are good friends (got to meet them and collison when they all played at UCLA together) and I think as long as we have the cap space, itll happen.

He's signed through 2017. Three more seasons after this. Not happening.

I thought his contract was up the year after love's was? Either way, I see westbrook being a much, much better player then bledsoe, and with love in LA I think there is a great chance we could potentially get him. Id rather pay top dollar for a top player, then pay top dollar for just a good player

The Lakers aren't going to sit around with a max slot open for four years on the chance that they may get Westbrook. Maybe if they can sign Bledsoe for 3 years at a high salary.

[FPL]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Great talent, but his size worries me. I'm not sure if the injury-prone label is warranted, I'd have to look into him.

If it doesn't hurt our cap situation though, why not?

[town bidness]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Great talent, but his size worries me. I'm not sure if the injury-prone label is warranted, I'd have to look into him.

If it doesn't hurt our cap situation though, why not?

yeah.. the last thing we need is another fragile player on the payroll.

[wailuaFC]

He's signed through 2017. Three more seasons after this. Not happening.

I thought his contract was up the year after love's was? Either way, I see westbrook being a much, much better player then bledsoe, and with love in LA I think there is a great chance we could potentially get him. Id rather pay top dollar for a top player, then pay top dollar for just a good player

The Lakers aren't going to sit around with a max slot open for four years on the chance that they may get Westbrook. Maybe if they can sign Bledsoe for 3 years at a high salary.

I guess I just dont like the thought of overpaying a decent player. I would much rather sign a good role player or two and leave room for westbrook (although his contract being longer then I thought does make me want to rethink it) then to sign bledsoe and no one else, because bledsoe is not good enough to make the lakers (even with love) competitors, in my opinion, however westbrook certainly is

[kobeunderbite]

I thought his contract was up the year after love's was? Either way, I see westbrook being a much, much better player then bledsoe, and with love in LA I think there is a great chance we could potentially get him. Id rather pay top dollar for a top player, then pay top dollar for just a good player

The Lakers aren't going to sit around with a max slot open for four years on the chance that they may get Westbrook. Maybe if they can sign Bledsoe for 3 years at a high salary.

I guess I just dont like the thought of overpaying a decent player. I would much rather sign a good role player or two and leave room for westbrook (although his contract being longer then I thought does make me want to rethink it) then to sign bledsoe and no one else, because bledsoe is not good enough to make the lakers (even with love) competitors, in my opinion, however westbrook certainly is

Westbrook needs max money, so either Bledsoe or a 'good role player or two' on the roster would not work with him and Love, unless Kobe was retired by then, which he likely will be.

EIther way you don't build your roster according to the timeline for a guy who will be a FA in 4 years.

[LookAway]

"Speaking of the Suns, I was told the Los Angeles Lakers might go hard after Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, who is out the rest of the season with a knee injury. Bledsoe will be a restricted free agent next summer, but I'm told the Lakers might be willing to overpay him to pry him away from Phoenix."

- ESPN Insider

Makes sense. The Lakers like their players injured and unable to perform

[wailuaFC]

The Lakers aren't going to sit around with a max slot open for four years on the chance that they may get Westbrook. Maybe if they can sign Bledsoe for 3 years at a high salary.

I guess I just dont like the thought of overpaying a decent player. I would much rather sign a good role player or two and leave room for westbrook (although his contract being longer then I thought does make me want to rethink it) then to sign bledsoe and no one else, because bledsoe is not good enough to make the lakers (even with love) competitors, in my opinion, however westbrook certainly is

Westbrook needs max money, so either Bledsoe or a 'good role player or two' on the roster would not work with him and Love, unless Kobe was retired by then, which he likely will be.

EIther way you don't build your roster according to the timeline for a guy who will be a FA in 4 years.

I think there are better ways to spend the money that we have then settling to overpay a decent player. By overpaying bledsoe, wed make the same mistake that so many other ball clubs do, by awarding a huge contract to a player who simply isnt deserving of it, and that would tie the lakers up for a long time again. I think itd be nice to have some financial flexibility and wait for a deal that we shouldnt pass up on, rather then overpaying a player just because he is the best available. Just my .02

[kobeunderbite]

I guess I just dont like the thought of overpaying a decent player. I would much rather sign a good role player or two and leave room for westbrook (although his contract being longer then I thought does make me want to rethink it) then to sign bledsoe and no one else, because bledsoe is not good enough to make the lakers (even with love) competitors, in my opinion, however westbrook certainly is

Westbrook needs max money, so either Bledsoe or a 'good role player or two' on the roster would not work with him and Love, unless Kobe was retired by then, which he likely will be.

EIther way you don't build your roster according to the timeline for a guy who will be a FA in 4 years.

I think there are better ways to spend the money that we have then settling to overpay a decent player. By overpaying bledsoe, wed make the same mistake that so many other ball clubs do, by awarding a huge contract to a player who simply isnt deserving of it, and that would tie the lakers up for a long time again. I think itd be nice to have some financial flexibility and wait for a deal that we shouldnt pass up on, rather then overpaying a player just because he is the best available. Just my .02

Really depends on who else we have. He'd be a great 3rd piece after Love and another max, or an even better 4th piece after Love, another max, and out lotto pick on a rookie contract.

[Buckets]

Westbrook needs max money, so either Bledsoe or a 'good role player or two' on the roster would not work with him and Love, unless Kobe was retired by then, which he likely will be.

EIther way you don't build your roster according to the timeline for a guy who will be a FA in 4 years.

I think there are better ways to spend the money that we have then settling to overpay a decent player. By overpaying bledsoe, wed make the same mistake that so many other ball clubs do, by awarding a huge contract to a player who simply isnt deserving of it, and that would tie the lakers up for a long time again. I think itd be nice to have some financial flexibility and wait for a deal that we shouldnt pass up on, rather then overpaying a player just because he is the best available. Just my .02

Really depends on who else we have. He'd be a great 3rd piece after Love and another max, or an even better 4th piece after Love, another max, and out lotto pick on a rookie contract.

Who else can they afford? Say they offer Bledsoe $12 million (reasonable since Tyreke Evans just got $12 per season). Then sign Love for $20 million in 2015. That puts the Lakers at $56 million for 2015 between Blesoe, Love, and Kobe. However 2016 they would have $24 million free after Kobe is done.