A Bull Market?
Listed in: BasketballWell, things have gotten interesting in the NBA marketplace, haven't they? There's been plenty of talk about this year's free agent crop (mostly Rashard Lewis), but now comes the biggest news of them all: Kobe Bryant has requested a trade.
First off, the Lakers are behind the eight-ball here. While trading Kobe would be terrible for them on a number of fronts (there's no way they get back equivalent talent, and it's going to hurt their ticket sales and public standing a ton), they probably have no choice. The good news is that there should be no shortage of suitors for the Mamba's services.
First off, the Knicks will no doubt be mentioned as a possible destination, but there's no way in hell that happens. The Rashard Lewis for Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson rumors are insane enough (why would the Sonics want a pair of shooting guards when they already have Ray Allen?), but the Knicks just don't have anywhere near enough talent to make this work.
But if Kobe wants to go to a major market, and the Lakers want him out of the West, then I think Chicago is the natural destination. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, a sign-and-trade with PJ Brown, and the #9 pick in the draft might get the deal done. I understand that Chicago is loathe to part with Deng, but this isn't Pau Gasol or another borderline star, this is Kobe. He's going to turn you into the best team in the East right away, and possibly a title contender, and that's something that Chicago can't pass up.
Boston might also be able to swing something, perhaps Paul Pierce, the #5 pick, and whichever young player the Lakers want. The move might keep the Lakers a bit more competitive in the short term, but I think the Bulls are a better option, since Deng has a chance to be special down the road.
The one other possibility is Portland. They've got the best set of young talent, and while they wouldn't part with the first pick in the draft, they could certainly send Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jarrett Jack, and, say, Jamaal Magloire on a sign-and-trade. I'm not sure if the Lakers would want to do that, but they'd be getting three good young players at the very beginnings of their career.
In any case, it should be fascinating to watch the Lakers try and turn this situation into something positive.
Comments
Zach, I have to think the Lakers can't and won't trade Kobe Bryant. They would need to get a franchise player in return for him, and what team would give up their franchise player to get a prima donna like Kobe in return? I think that, for the time, being, Kobe and Los Angeles are stuck with one another.
As for the Chicago suggestion, it's interesting to me for a reason you didn't mention: the MJ factor. I'd like to see how Kobe likes playing in the shadow of the greatest player of all time.
Posted by: kevin | May 30, 2007 11:42 PM
While it appears that Kobe may, in fact, stay put, I'm not sure I fully agree with you Kevin. I'm not sure what you mean by "prima donna," though one of my co-workers tonight compared Kobe to Terrell Owens. First of all, Kobe is a better player than TO. Second of all, he's got 3 rings. Third, while you can argue that he dominates the ball too much and can be hard to get along with, it's not as if he has the same track record of team-destroying behavior that Owens has. Would trading for Kobe be a risk? Of course. But you're getting arguably the best player in the league in return, and that's a risk I'd consider worth taking if I were the Bulls GM.
Posted by: Zach Geballe | May 31, 2007 3:19 AM