I edited my post because I knew what you were going to say lol.

If he simply wants to go to LA, he will go to the Clippers. I think Kawhi is a nice guy and doing this out of respect for Lebron, but I don’t believe he would ever sign there to be in his shadow.
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I think he stays with the Raptors, but who knows.

If he goes to LA, that team will win the next couple champs I'd think, especially if they can add Korver and another decent piece.
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They won't get Kawhi.

But like you, I'd like to see D-Load back. I was a fan of his when he was with LA and hated that they ran him out of town to make room for Magic's vanity project in Lonzo even though Russell was clearly the more well-rounded player with a higher ceiling.

He'd only be eligible for a 25% max deal because he hasn't been in the league long enough for the 30%; the Lakers can fit him in if Davis waives his trade kicker even without any additional roster shenanigans.

He can shoot, he can pass, he's a willing defender. He's not ideal in that he's not a great shooter, but he's not a bad one. And he's not a premier athlete or super long so he's not a lock-down perimeter guys, but he's willing to work to stay in front of his man and that's good enough.

A weirdly good fit who could easily blow up in LA's face but could also be a perfect #4 if they believe in Kuzma is Malcolm Brogdon. Long, very good shooter and doesn't need (or want) to play with the ball in his hands all that much. He won't get the max but some team might just get a wild hair and offer him upwards of $20 million/season. Right? Yeah, it could happen.

And it could be LA. There's more cap space than quality players out there and this could end up being like that offseason where the Lakers shot themselves firmly in the face with the Mozgov and Deng deals. It wasn't just LA - the entire NBA gave out contracts they immediately came to regret. Have money, will spend, I guess.
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If he goes to the Lakers, it will be a worse move than Durant IMO.

That’s like KD going to GS after he just beat them and won the title. Not exactly, I’m just saying the level of lameness that would take.

There’s just no way that happens, but if it did, I’d probably be done with the NBA for a while.
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I'd like to see Russell go there, or to Dallas. I think him with those other 2 in Dallas could be really fun.

The Lakers need a shooter or 2 and some defenders. Ideally, sure, Kawhi would be all the above, but if not, just put complimentary pieces around and go from there.
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Kawhi to LAL would probably break the league just like KD to GSW did. That’s 3 of probably at worst top 6 not counting KD this year?
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I don't think he can have waived it yet. I believe the idea is that he's agreed he WOULD waive it if a deal were in place.

And even then, that will only get them to about $27 million and the 25% max. They still can't offer the $30+ million max that Kawhi is eligible for. Not without the Pelicans agreeing to finalize the deal later (and they ain't doing that. Nicely done, Rob; way to step on your dick there brotha).

But where that could be relevant is the aforementioned Russell deal if the Nets renounce their rights to him after signing Kyrie and Durant. If it's just Kyrie, they won't keep Russell but they will tender/trade him. They'd need to get both guys and have to renounce Russell to clear the space for the 2nd max slot. That would open him up to return to LAL.

And the Lakers would be wise to do it, IMO. He's still a kid - there's a lot of room left in his game to be a real nice long-term asset and excellent story for the Lakers.
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Houston is going to go after Butler in a sign and trade very aggressively l.

That’s the kind of guy that Harden needs as his Robin.
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Don't think AD waived his 4 million without assurances that they've got a max FA ready to sign.
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Nah, Kawhi has already won his. If he wants to go home and be lowkey and win 2 or 3 more and make bank, go for it.

I'd prefer to see them spread out a little, but you pretty much have to have atleast 2 or 3 stars to win anyway so it's whatever.
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Or the kind of guy that CP3 fights in February and it's a huge disaster.

I think Houston should blow it up but they really can't. It's a shit show.
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Twitter is saying he waved it or maybe will wave it? I dunno.

I think Russell is a very interesting fit. I like him a lot, but I dunno how GM Lebron feels.
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I've come to believe that Butler is the kind of guy that NOBODY needs as their Robin.

He just appears to be a monumental prick who deserves to get the max contract on a 25 win team where he can just chase his numbers every night.

I've had a hard turn on Butler over the last 2-3 years. He's just a bizarre guy who manages to be both aloof and combative at the same time. It mostly makes him every 12 year old girl with rich parents that you've ever met. I really do not care for Jimmy Butler these days.
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Which makes a Harden-CP3-Butler trio all the more hilarious.
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So did I miss news that he actually waived it? I mean, he could change his mind right up until the contract is finally executed, no?

The understanding I've had for a few days is that Davis WILL waive the kicker if it becomes necessary but that he hasn't yet done so (and can't) so there's still no telling if the Lakers can actually close a deal with a max level player.

If there is news that he's actively waived it then I would agree with you, somewhere Rich Paul has put a deal together, knows how things are going to go down and has told him to go ahead and waive the kicker.
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