Here are my immediate reactions to this trade...
- Wow. That's a really good trade for the Lakers. It'll cost them some luxury tax money, but they're suddenly really, really good for a really, really long time. Kobe (29), Gasol (27) and Bynum (20) are all there for the foreseeable future (they'll have to move Lamar or just let him leave after next season when his deal is up). But it's also expensive, since Kobe and Gasol are maxed out and Bynum will be in 2010. Three max contracts - that's a lot.
- Is this the first time brothers have ever been traded for each other? The Lakers sent the rights to Marc Gasol back to Memphis.
- What's this 'sign and trade' Aaron McKie thing? You can do that? Since Kwame plus Crittendon times 1.25 doesn't quite equal Gasol, the Lakers have to put in more salary. Apparently, that will be Aaron McKie, who played for the Lakers last season, but has neither signed with them nor officially retired nor apparently been waived. This raises all kinds of interesting cap implications for me. Why waive players and renounce their rights? Could the Clippers be in the position to do the same thing with Zeljko Rebraca? This is a new twist on cap calisthenics, and I thought we'd seen it all.
- Citizen John R thinks Mike Miller is probably available, and it makes sense. Why get rid of the 27 year old Gasol but keep the soon to be 28 Miller? I'd at least get on the phone with Chris Wallace.
- The idea of clearing lots of cap space in Memphis is a dubious one. Yes, you can afford to offer free agents a lot of money. But here's the tricky part - NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY FOR MEMPHIS! In fact, this is kind of the tragedy of the Isiah era in New York. Bite the bullet, admit you're bad, cut the salaries and lose lots of games - and as soon as a marquee free agent is available, he's yours. It's friggin' New York! But the plan doesn't work so well in Tennessee.
- Crittendon is the prospect they get back? Um, don't they already have Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry and Juan Carlos Navarro? Are they planning on playing in some sort of 'young point guards only' league?