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I feel like there is a deal to be made between the Lakers and the Bucks. The Bucks need to trade Middleton, Brogdon and to a lesser extent Bledsoe to a team that can better use their remaining years on their contracts before they hit the market and get (over)paid.
Lonzo Ball, Luol Deng, Kyle Kuzma & Josh Hart to the Bucks for Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe & Malcolm Brogdon. The salaries are basically a wash.
The Lakers want to keep Ball, Kuzma, and Hart, and the reason to trade Deng would be for cap space for Randle (on top of the 2 max slots), not to trade Deng away for other players. So you have the Lakers trading away Ball, Randle, Kuzma, and Hart - almost all of their entire young core, except Ingram. Yes, you're getting back some good players but you're giving up your future.
LAKERFANS be marchin in the streets with pitchforks and tiki torches, ready to burn Staples down if that happens. I mean, there are already vocal LAKERFANS who don't want LeBron and just want to keep the young core.
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Lakers can sign George & Lebron to max deals and fill out their roster w/ ring chasers.
I'm not 100%, but I don't think that can happen if they deal Deng for equivalent salary. I think they need to stretch Deng in order to sign George & LeBron, and that's with dropping Randle completely.
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Bucks definitely say yes and the Lakers probably say no. What do the Lakers have to take back or Bucks have to add for it to get done?
Agree that Lakers say no. They want to keep their young core, sign 2 max FA's, and possibly bring back Randle. Not sure if I see a Bucks deal that gets that done. You'd have to add a 3rd team who wants the Bucks' players and not Lakers' assets.