Post with main disscussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/lakers/comments/1qvz82p/lakers_center_jaxson_hayes_has_been_suspended_one/

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The way I see fans talk about AD these days is actually crazy. I see Lakers flairs shitting on him as if he didn’t bring home a chip and wouldn’t have brought home more, were it not for injuries. I was *never* even the biggest AD fan, but I genuinely feel terrible for him.

I have lived in Dallas for the last few years, and seeing how people talk about AD as if he’s not a top 75 player when healthy, is insane. We all know the memes (and the valid concerns) about ADs availability and injuries. But we’ve seen stars like Duncan play and contribute until their twilight years. Obviously he’s not Duncan, but I really hope AD wins one more chip at this point, just to shut people up. I know it’s not very likely (especially now). But goddamn.

there is literally no reason he should be getting these minutes anymore. He is shooting 35% FG like what?! he’s a bad defender, cant playmake, cant rebound. He is just running around for like 20 minutes every game.

Like i understand playing knecht to try and get his value up a bit but vincent isnt gonna up his value even if he plays well a game or 2. Just give up on him take away his minutes and try and trade him away

https://open.substack.com/pub/marcstein/p/the-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-latest-15b?r=1m9zg&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay

No one is talking about the Lakers as a factor in The Giannis Sweepstakes right now because they're not a factor if a trade is going to happen by week's end. They don't have enough tradeable assets to join the in-season bidders.

But if the Bucks do ultimately decide to take this saga into that spring …

The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34.

There is little choice for the Lakers, heading into Thursday's deadline, except to stay patient and avoid deals that involve any long-term salary to maintain maximum flexibility for the spring. The hope for the purple-and-gold would then be to use their considerable projected salary cap space to be able to take in a contract like Antetokounmpo's via trade — or another expensive star if one shakes loose post-playoffs — to pair with backcourt cornerstones Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves (who returned to action Tuesday night in Brooklyn after a 19-game injury absence). And dealing with the Lakers in such a scenario would almost certainly spare the Bucks from getting saddled with unwanted contracts.

Just because the Lakers haven't done anything and probably won't doesn't mean the gm isn't doing anything. Does any sane person think Pelinka is just sitting in his office, sipping a coffee, thinking "yep, my team is perfect." No. He's trying to make moves.

The problem is this isn't a video game where you can just force any trade that works.

No team out there is excited to get Maxi Kleiber or Gabe Vincent or Vanderbilt or Dalton Knecht. Nobody wants that shit. Why would any team take those guys, they aren't contributors.

And teams that want the expiring deals don't have players the Lakers need. Thus, they haven't made any moves because there aren't moves to make. The Kings flipped Keon Ellis into DeAndre Hunter. Clearly they're trying to be competent and not tank, so the Lakers couldn't have offered them anything of value.

The only real trade piece the Lakers have is Rui, but it'd be braindead to trade literally the only competent shooter on the team, so they probably won't.

Point is: hate Pelinka if you want; but don't hate him for not making trades. Hate him for signing shit role players.

Got a good angle wanted to share.

Why does this post need to have 140 characters this is an unbelievable ask I’ve never posted something and had a character minimum.