BOB THE BUILDER

[MexicanMamba]

Word Count: 3,142





There have been funny remarks, conversations had, and people personally questioning me about how I managed to build the current Lakers roster. I have said before to others that this is a new type of build for me, in that I have personally never had a team so ready to win-now and have so many pieces built for the future at the same time. I am sure that others have accomplished this in the past, but I have never dived into such a thing. The questions about it led me to start digging into the moves that were crucial in building these Lakers and that brought me here, to writing about it. I mean, why the hell not get some points for independent research?



I will go back far enough in detail that it makes sense to, and simply briefly touch upon any deals prior to that which got me here. I will do my best to recall what my thought process was at the time of these moves as well, to give context to them as perhaps it can help any folks who are hoping to learn anything from all of this mess, I am ready to spew out onto this keyboard. I thought about doing this chronologically but that feels more time consuming, so I will just go player-by-player and trace their roots back.



Why not start at the top?





SAFI FINO-A-LASELF



Drafted in 2045. 1st round, pick #8.





Unlike most of the great players that I have acquired over the years, Safi was drafted by me (as the Clippers). I have gone over his draft story before, but I will do the quick rundown again. I was initially leaning towards drafting the big man who would eventually become Anas Mahmoud. Safi was an afterthought in my immediate draft evaluations because of his 41 QKN and Green potential (and red current). He was obviously built like a Shooting Guard or Small Forward but had the athletic ability of a Center or Power Forward. I kept going back to his 3 As on offense though and wondering if he could work. When Josh and others gave me examples of guys in a similar makeup succeeding, I bit the bullet and drafted him over Mahmoud. With Safi though, his story of how he became to be a member of my franchise is not simply as cut/dry as drafting him. The pick that I used to get Safi was not a Clipper/Laker draft pick, but instead was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade that happened in a previous season.



Gary Loredo was a Purple/Purple monster (who I also traded for, but that trade is not as important. Just know that I offered every asset that I had at the time, including another young 20-point scorer) who had helped lead me to my best season and a thrilling Finals run where I unfortunately lost to Josh’s Bulls in Game 7 thanks for Delmar Lopez going berserk. After my window with him was ending, I had some cap space and had him on the trade block. When restricted free agency came up that off-season, I put out and won a max bid for Blue/Blue Dong Bone. Raby, the Wolves GM at the time, (funny that I have to point this out now with so many new folks who wouldn’t know him) was not fond of paying Bone that much but was interested in adding Loredo to try to go all-in one last time, probably in search of some emotion from the game again. Thus, an RFA sign-and-trade was born:



Clippers send:

Gary Loredo



Timberwolves send:

Dong Bone

Jaxson Hayes

2044 Bucks 1st

2045 Timberwolves 1st





I remember at the time this deal did not look bad at all because of how great Loredo was, even though he was heading towards the end of his prime. Obviously, looking at it NOW and this is an extremely one-sided deal. With the help of some important paid trainings, Dong Bone would eventually become an all-purple scorer and the 2045 Timberwolves 1st would be Safi Fino-A-Laself. It does not even matter who was drafted with that Bucks 1st (I genuinely do not remember, if I even made it) or what Hayes became (A capable backup big man), because Bone and Safi were more than enough to tip this in my direction. Dong Bone will also show up later in this article to explore another piece of this roster puzzle, so he was quite the gift for me coming in and going out.





KARLO PEARSON



Trade with the Dallas Mavericks





Just like what I spoke about above with Gary Loredo (resetting after a championship window closed), getting Karlo Pearson was in that same space. The former Mavericks GM and I had talked about completing a deal a few times leading up to this move but it never quite materialized. Initially I wanted Toni Gauss, but he was adamant about keeping him, which I obviously understood because there was a reason why I wanted him as well. When Gauss was off the table, I turned my attention to Karlo Pearson. At the time, Pearson had the high-end defensive potential, but it was not quite as clear how good he’d be offensively, and he was not a super athlete like Gauss, so he became more attainable. On top of that, the Mavericks were close to being a contending team but were searching for a great big man to complement his roster. The deal ultimately was a 3-team deal so that some salary could be shed as well but between the Mavs and I is looked like this-





Clippers send:

Zeke Nnaji (A player that I had a really fun history with even before this, as I initially acquired him way back when I traded Boban away after my only championship season!)



Mavericks send:

Karlo Pearson

#11 Overall (This pick was used by me on Ibrahima Diallo. He took a LONG, winding road to get there but he has finally become quite the player all these seasons later)





Nnaji was a really good player for the Mavericks where he would go on to play four seasons, averaging 21.6, 21.3, 17.9 and 19.1 points per game as well as rebound and block shots. He never did get them over the hump, but the Mavs also were not the most active team and probably did not make quite enough moves to get there, so it was not Nnaji’s fault. For me, Pearson was trained up, is now at his full purple power and has been the perfect type of player to put with Safi as he is a shooter who does not need the ball to be productive and plays ELITE defense.





CHARLES ALLEMAN



Trade with the Boston Celtics





This one does not take a lot of analysis or history digging. It was Charlie himself who originally broached the subject of me trading for Alleman. At the time, Alleman had not fully bloomed (and would not until his 2nd season in Los Angeles) and he was looking to pair Antonio Blakeney up with a high-end guard who could play defense (A task he obviously is still working on since he just traded for Mikal Bridges for the same reason). I had Ousmane Dieng and his A potential perimeter defense, who I lucked out on acquiring in UFA when he signed a solid deal before two of my own free agents took up all of my cap space.



Lakers send:

Ousmane Dieng



Celtics send:

Charles Alleman





It is pretty apparent now that Charles Alleman is the better, more impactful player of these two. However, at the time, Alleman was not playing up to his massive potential and Charlie valued other traits for his build. Ultimately, I believe this trade worked out fine for the both of us. I did get the better player and a key cog in my current championship chase, but Dieng helped the Celtics win a championship and, in a roundabout way, got him Bridges as well.





PAOLO BANCHERO



Trade with the Detroit Pistons





One of my most recent deals, and one we covered in-depth on the podcast last night so I do not need to give too much extra analysis of it.



Lakers send:

Mac McClung



Pistons send:

Paolo Banchero

52 Suns 1st Rounder





I think Mac is going to be phenomenal, but my window is open right now and I coveted the win-now player. Banchero is unique in that he is a legit rookie with the kinds of win-now traits that he has. You just do not see this type of player pop up often. His contract is also a winner for me when I have several other guys getting paid premium prices. The Suns 1st round pick was a bonus, even though I doubt it gets me in range to grab anyone truly special in the upcoming draft, it is still a trade asset at the very least to help making some more moves in the off-season if they are needed.



Digging deeper into this move, I am only in position to make this move because of trading Dong Bone (I told you he’d come back around). I closed a championship window last season by trading Bone and He Hor (who will also show back up later) because I knew I had the right circumstances coming up to reset my tax, add talent in trades into cap space, then re-sign a couple of my key stars at the same time (Karlo, Alleman). The Warriors had been losing a lot of games lately and were itching to get back to a winning formula. So, Purple/Purple Dong Bone was one of his answers and that is was netted me the much coveted Point Guard, Mac McClung.



Lakers send:

Dong Bone



Warriors send:

Mac McClung

2051 1sts from the Warriors (Sent out for points) and Heat

6 points



We both got exactly what we were looking for from this deal and while I am not sure if Jon would do it again, he knew going into it that he was trading a great asset but just really wanted to feel like a winner again in the standings.





BAM ADEBAYO



Trade with the Detroit Pistons





The trade that got things started between Doug and I this season. This one is simple. Bam could play Center, play defense, and has a reasonable contract. Perfect fit next to Alleman, who plays defense and can score. Points it is and Bam it was.



Lakers send:

6 points



Pistons send:

Bam Adebayo



This was a step taken in the process that I had begun the prior season when I reset my tax instead of trying to challenge Charlie for the championship. I knew I had temporary cap space and it was time to use it on productive players. Win. Win. Win.





HASSAN HODGES



Trade with the Washington Wizards





X and I had a lot of good conversation in the lead-up to this trade. We discussed 3 and 4 team trades, we discussed multiple players between the two of us and several different iterations of this deal we ultimately agreed upon. I was looking for another guard/wing who specialized on defense and preferably one who had a decent contract I could keep for at least one more season so that I did not have to hunt down depth next off-season. Hodges checked all of those boxes and it’s a player I have familiarity with since I had him on my team once before, though when he was much younger and rawer.



Lakers send:

Gregory Jackson

Vet min salaries



Wizards send:

Hassan Hodges





X saw something in Jackson that he could build upon, and I got all of the things that I mentioned above. X also cleared some money this season and next while grabbing a young asset for the next few seasons. I don’t think either of us would do anything about this deal any differently, as it gave me super depth and X’s Wizards have not really missed a beat without Hodges and are still comfortably in a nice playoff position.



This story expands because of Gregory Jackson however, because he was not a draft pick of mine and was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. As I’ve already brought up earlier, it was the resetting of a championship window and He Hor, coming off an MVP season, could be had by a team looking to compete. The Mavericks came into play and traded for one of the game’s best Point Guards.



Lakers send:

He Hor



Mavericks send:

2052 Mavericks 1st (Upcoming)

Gregory Jackson

5 points





This was more than fair at the time and now. The Mavericks missed on building around this move and ended up having to cut ties with He Hor earlier than I (or he for that matter) would have anticipated when we made this deal, but that is a situation that occurred after the move. Casey has ensured that this upcoming pick is not anything special and Jackson was a decent prospect but not elite, so it is not someone he likely misses too much at this point.





TONY THROCKMORTON



Trade with the Charlotte Bobcats





The absolute most recent member of the squad, Throckmorton was brought in when I was ready to dump some salary by trading away Toni Gauss. Gauss was/is still a very valuable player and contributor, however the amount of depth I have at the positions that he plays meant that it was more prudent to save some on the tax bill while also attempting to bring in a much smaller salary to fill a rotational role. This was a 3-teamer with Doug for salary dumping purposes, however it ultimately boiled down to-



Lakers send:

Toni Gauss

2052 Lakers 1st

3 2nd rounders



Bobcats send:

Tony Throckmorton





I got a much-needed rotational big man who can score and block shots for $20mil per season and the Bobcats received some picks and cleared the books of the Throckmorton deal which extends out for 2 more seasons after this one. Toni Gauss himself was also a guy I received in a trade this off-season from the Warriors and while I could deep dive that deal, he ultimately became a salary dump. Still, Gauss is proving that he belongs in a rotation as he immediately led the Bobcats to 3 wins his first sim with them and scored 30+ 3 times and 20+ another 2. He did not end up being the best fit for me, but he was worth the gamble.





FRANK DAILY AND DAVID LOMAS





I am putting these two together because they are now members of the Lakers for the same reason. I brought them both in during the UFA 1 period this past off-season and Daily only had one other bid and Lomas had 0 other bids. I targeted these older, non-max guys hoping the bids would be scarce as everyone else hunted down the big fish (two of which I was maxing myself and no one else had a chance at getting). It was a worthwhile gamble and paid off in-full. Both guys have played good minutes for me all season and Daily in particular has shown off his position flexibility by playing the 2-3-4 positions.





JEFFREY TROUTMAN AND THOMAS WALKER



Drafted 15th overall in the 2051 draft, Trade with the Heat





Much like Safi, Troutman was drafted by me, but it was not using my own first round pick. Troutman is a tweener who I have trained up to blue potential, mostly to up his trade value but I also see value in him as a player and will happily keep him around for depth and see how he grows, if I do not find a deal for him that makes sense in the coming seasons. He is certainly a nice piece to just be a throw-in to another deal where I got a good asset already. Thomas Walker is a capable future starting Center in this league who I obtained in the same trade that I got the draft pick which would become Troutman.



Lakers send:

Raiquan Gray

2050 Lakers 1st



Heat send:

Thomas Walker

Tex Harrison (salary)

2050 Heat 1st (Troutman)

5 points



Raiquan Gray is one of my favorite players I’ve traded for in the past and was an extremely athletic, scoring machine at Power Forward with a bit of defense to boot. Got him in a trade with Charlie a while back too when he was hunting for a championship in his Zaire Wade days and needed a Point Guard (Terry Sterner to the rescue!). Gray only spent one full season in Miami (and scored 23 points in it) but it was because he traded UP to go and get Kai Jones, so I think this is a deal that both parties can look back on and say they made and maximized as best as the possibly could have.





SAUL KING



Trade with the Toronto Raptors





I think Saul King is a solid, rebounding big man who can be a good starter for a team in short order. He will not bring anyone major scoring but depending on how you build your team, that is not necessary. I got King in a swap with the Raptors.



Lakers send:

Dario Beaton



Raptors send:

Saul King (And salary)





This is a deal that I would have loved to have been able to flip back this past off-season. I do not regret it because it was the most logical way to cut salary enough to reset my tax situation last season, but Beaton was the perfect bench player for the kind of team I have ended up building here. I got him in the off-season before I dealt him for a 4-year MLE deal with a team option and he is a Blue/Blue 3&D player who can play Point Guard or Shooting Guard. I ended up signing Lomas (the 3-point shooting part) and trading for Hodges (the D part) to cover for not having him anymore but it sure would have been nice to be able to grab him back.





And there is the roadmap to how the Lakers have found themselves in the position that we are currently in. It takes a lot of wheeling and dealing, patience, planning and a bit of luck to build something that you can be excited about. What will all of this team-building lead to? Who knows, really. I still am a firm believer that there is going to be a fist fight for the championship between 3-5 teams who all have great players and smart or fast learning GMs. I just know that building this roster has been fun and if anyone here can read all this and take anything from it to help them in the future? That is fun too!



MAMBA OUT!



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[IamQuailman]

You forgot to put a sock on the topic title, m8. I walked in here and caught ya jerkin yourself off!

Seriously though, great job with building the team. Lots of hard work and wheeling and dealing.

[MexicanMamba]

You forgot to put a sock on the topic title, m8. I walked in here and caught ya jerkin yourself off!

Seriously though, great job with building the team. Lots of hard work and wheeling and dealing.

I do enough all-inclusive articles It was Brucie's time to shine!

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[greepleairport]

3100+ words all about yourself (and yet not quite exclusively...well done!), +10pts

[greepleairport]

I’m a roundabout way, dealing McClung got me the sims to appeal to an unhappy FA like Ridenhour. We both win