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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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(NBA–CHANGES COMING)
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LA loves the Lakers.  LA, a segment of it, loves the Clippers.

1-team has all the banners hanging in the Arena.  The other has none.

Times have changed for the Lakers, now engrossed in mediocrity.  Times have cursed the Clippers, twice seeing a franchise built to win, fail to get there because of injuries.

And now both face the NBA-draft on Wednesday, and the opening of free agency, needing change.

A look-see at what could happen, starting on draft night and proceeding into the July 1st start of free agency:

LAKERS…They have their new coach, regardless of what the fans and the media think.  Now they have to provide JJ Redick with the kind of players he needs to fix this franchise, used to winning NBA rings, but relegated now to being a ‘play-in team’.

LeBron James will finish his career with the team, on a likely 3-year extension.  Anthony Davis will be his running mate.  They are not trading Austin Reaves.  After that, changes everywhere.

Depending which rumor you believe, they want another lead guard, and that appears to be Atlanta Hawks young star Dejountae Murray.  But that means trading lots of assets and a player or two.

This year’s #17 pick does not mean much.  F-Rui Hachimura or wingman Taurean Prince would mean more, as would a future high #1 pick.  That seems to be the price-tag to get Murray.

The Knicks may also be linked to  trade talks with the Lakers, a possible deal that might bring LA shot blocking-defensive C-Mitchell Robinson.  The price tag might be this year’s top pick, and G-Gabe Vincent or Hachimura.

Guess the question is, how many more times will GM-Rob Pelinka trade future #1 picks and other players to go get support people for King James and AD?

But if you gave the keys to a new coach, who wants to run and shoot 3’s and defend, then you better give up talent to get the kind of talent fo fit what he wants to do.

CLIPPERS…Owner Steve Ballmer has tried so hard, and now a challenging summer for GM-Lawrence Frank.

How many miles are left for aging and ailing star Kawhi Leonard?  If you won’t give max contracts to Paul George and James Harden, or further extend Russell Westbrook, do you do deals to replace them?

What is the value of Chris Paul as compared to keeping Harden?  Are you better with an aging Paul, but what if it costs you Norm Powell, the asking price of Golden State?

Can you equate how different your team might be, if you were to deal Paul George to the Knicks or Heat in the latest rumored trades involving the hi scoring shooter?

Does getting a decent #1 pick from the Knicks plus C-Mitchell
Robinson, make you a different team able to compete come post season time?

If there is no George, Harden or Russell Westbrook on your team, do you have enough to lure marquee free agents to come back with Kawhi and virtually no one else on the roster?

Neither team can be mentioned in the same breath with other elite teams in the NBA-Western Conference.

This might be the last chance the Lakers have to find players to link with their big two stars.  The Clippers will have future picks and cap space, but might not have much of a magnet of roster talent to attract big names in the future.

It all starts on Wednesday and it will be a week of likely changes for both LA teams.  Worth watching the draft, then the trade wire and certainly the free agent deals.

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