major trade looms as draft approaches

Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, together? Yes, it's true, the Lakers and Timberwolves, along with help from the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are working on a four team deal that will send Garnett to the Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom to the Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal to the Celtics, and the #5 overall pick (from the Celtics) and either the #19 pick (from the Lakers) or Al Jefferson to the Timberwolves. This may or may not keep Bryant in Los Angeles after he demanded to be traded last week, but I think that this will keep him in LA with an improved team with Garnett as his sidekick.

This deal makes sense for all teams except for Boston. After all, rumors were swirling about Garnett going to the Lakers, Jefferson and the #5 pick going to the Timberwolves, and Bynum and Odom going to the Pacers, although all of them were in separate deals. In order for this big deal to get done, it will probably have to happen before the #5 pick is announced. The draft is this Thursday and begins at 7:00 EST.

What Minnesota should do this Offseason

Basically the Minnesota Timberwolves' entire offseason will be centered around Kevin Garnett and the debate about whether or not the Timberwolves should trade their franchise's all time best player. I think they should because there is a lot of demand for an unselfish superstar like Garnett and he has done so much for the Timberwolves with little to no help around him for all but one year, 2003-04, the year the Timberwolves made the Western Conference finals. The Lakers have been interested in Garnett for some time now and while that is still an intriguing possibility in him teaming up with disgruntled superstar Kobe Bryant, he will likely not go there because reportedly, the Lakers have lined up a trade with the Indiana Pacers to get Jermaine O'Neal. However, if the Lakers don't need to give up Lamar Odom or Andrew Bynum, I could still see Garnett to the Lakers as a possibility.

I could also see him going to the Dallas Mavericks. Jerry Stackhouse's big contract expired this year, possibly clearing up enough space for the Mavs to pair him with someone like Devin Harris or Jason Terry to go to Minnesota and begin the rebuilding process there. I expect the Mavs to make a big change this offseason following their disappointing playoffs.

A free agent that is available for the Timberwolves to get that could help Garnett is Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats. Wallace provided the Bobcats with good stats across the board and probably will with whatever team he plays for, as long as he manages to get playing time.

As for the draft, I expect Minnesota to get the best player available. Al Horford from Florida could help right away on the Timberwolves' front line, maybe as the starting power forward and putting in Garnett at center in a small ball lineup like what the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors do so well.

Lakers: Either get West back or trade Kobe

In recent years, the Los Angeles Lakers have had disappointing seasons since trading star center Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat. Kobe Bryant is fed up with all of this losing. The Lakers have had just four playoff wins in the last three seasons playing without Shaq. Recently, Kobe has said that he wanted Jerry West, the architect of the Laker dynasty in the beginning of the decade, back as Lakers general manager. If the Lakers could not do this, it has been rumored that he wants to be traded.
Mitch Kupchak could have done several moves to get a second star in Los Angeles, but every time he has failed to do so. The most publicised was during the trade deadline this February when Kupchak could have gotten Jason Kidd if he included center Andrew Bynum in the deal. He refused, saying that he didn't want to risk the future of the Lakers in favor of one or two years as a legitimate title contender. However, Kupchak didn't consider that everywhere he has gone, Kidd has made his teammates better and his game could last until his late thirties like John Stockton's did.
Also, Kobe could have been traded during his free agent year in 2004 to the Chicago Bulls. The deal was already set up, but Kobe did not want to leave Los Angeles in favor of another place where the future was uncertain. He also could have gone to the Los Angeles Clippers without a sign and trade being involved. After weighing his options, Kobe decided to stay with the Lakers because he wanted to remain loyal to his franchise. In my opinion, the Clippers have the better team right now even without Kobe.
The main reason why the Lakers aren't a contender right now, other than that they are in the Western Conference, is that they didn't get enough in return for Shaq and they are a young team that doesn't have a consistent second scoring option. When Shaq was on the trading market, the Dallas Mavericks were willing to give up almost anyone other than Dirk Nowitzki, but the Lakers said no because they thought that they would not be able to beat the Mavs in a playoff series. What they forgot was that Shaq was entering his mid thirties. Now, if the Lakers did a deal with the Mavs for Shaq, they could still be playing in this year's playoffs.
Instead, they traded Shaq to the Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. Odom is the only one of the three left on the team. Butler, an all-star this year, was traded after only one year in purple and gold for Kwame Brown. If Butler was still with the Lakers, he would have been the second scoring option that the Lakers needed so badly the last three years. Grant has been a salary cap killer for the Lakers. Sure, the Lakers used him as their amnesty exception in 2005, but that only counted against the luxury tax, not against the salary cap. Odom has had some great moments with the Lakers, but he is prone to injuries and hasn't always been as consistent as the Lakers have wanted him to be. Odom has been in trade talks with almost every all-star player the Lakers have been after, so that could take its toll on Odom.
If Kobe wants to be traded, that's okay, but where will he be traded to. The Lakers will demand a lot more than they did for Shaq and Most of the contenders in the NBA don't need that radical of a change to become a championship team. I couldn't see Kobe be traded to the Bobcats or Hawks because they are not ready for a championship run yet. A team like the Cavaliers or the Timberwolves who are looking to add another superstar don't have the necessary pieces to give to the Lakers in exchange for Kobe. However, a team like the Golden State Warriors or the Sacramento Kings have the necessary pieces that they are willing to give up and probably the interest to bring Kobe to their teams. The Warriors could give up a guy like Jason Richardson, an all-star level player when healthy and one of the most exciting players in the NBA. The Kings could give up Kevin Martin or, if the Lakers want to take a risk, Brad Miller.

What Memphis could do this offseason

Memphis lost big in the draft lottery, getting the number four overall pick despite having the worst record in the NBA. Of course, star forward Pau Gasol was injured for the beginning part of the season. If it weren't for Gasol's injury, the Grizzlies might have made it into the playoffs. In my opinion, they might have been one the teams who tanked the last few games of the regular season to try to get the most ping pong balls for the lottery, which the succeeded in doing. With their first rounder, I could see the Grizzlies doing a variety of things. They could trade it to a team like the Portland Trail Blazers, who are looking to move up in the draft to get Mike Conley, Jr., they could take Brandan Wright out of North Carolina, a guy who has the potential to team up with Gasol and become a good tandem of big men, or I could also see them bringing a winning attitude to their team in either Corey Brewer or Al Horford of Florida, the back to back national champions.

The Grizzlies also have a lot to think about for the offseason. They need a new coach and general manager. Since they don't have a top two pick, those tasks could be a lot more difficult to accomplish. The Grizzlies originally talked to Billy Donovan of Florida and Hall of Famer Larry Brown also had interest. Of course, this came with the assumption of getting to coach Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, but that will probably not happen. The Grizzlies also have to deal with the disgruntled Gasol, who demanded a trade last year. He could have gone to the Chicago Bulls, but didn't when the Bulls refused to include rising star Luol Deng in the deal. I expect Gasol to go this offseason, but nobody knows who will take him on yet. I still see the Bulls as a possible destination, but not if they have to include Deng in the deal, especially after his playoff series against the Miami Heat. He could also go to the Knicks, who are always looking to make a splash in player transactions, or the Lakers, who said they will upgrade the team for Kobe Bryant. The Grizzlies have a lot to think about this offseason.