2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

This is the norm around all Laker sites. We always undervalue other star players around the league. I have never liked doing that. If I am going to go in a direction, it is the exact opposite direction and over value the competition. That way, when we finally beat them, the winning will be better. I don't care if we beat crappy teams, but when we beat great teams, it is sweet.

 

Luka has all the power here though, right now he's our Julius Ceasar. These guys know contracts, the know the players, they are aware of how trades work.

He can sit back until August and see what Rob comes up with. You can best believe, that he's already given him, a list of guys that he likes.

JJ is going to have to get on Luka's train, it's not the other way around. If he can't figure it out, he's outta here quickly.

Like I said..Capela/Reed or Adams/Sharpe, two low budget options, that might just work.

It depends on what the Don wants, but Rob is going to be ultra motivated, to try and deliver.

 

Buha had Lane on his pod. They have the same best realistic case off-season it consists of trading for Claxton, signing Bruce Brown or similar and then hoping to hit on a couple minimums.

It's not great, but there's a few paths to building a decent one. Claxton or Duren would be my first two choices. I don't really want Gafford. If you can't get either, which wouldn't be surprising, then yeah it's probably cobbling something together in FA.

One point that Buha pointed out with Sharpe is he has the same agent as AR, that's significant. Also given that relationship, we should have the inside track on knowing if that's a possible path and BKN's willingness to match before other teams have that Intel.

You can zag but only so far. Teams are collecting bigs like they're infinity stones, so there's no guarantee more become available anytime soon. That zag might be unloading our assets to get a high draft pick and lock one up that way.


I'm fine going the stop gap center route, but we have A LOT of expiring money to play with. If you're not investing it at the biggest need, then you better address another big need. Letting even half of that walk like we've historically done is not acceptable.

one commonality with these final 4 is they all have at least 4 high end wings. If we want to start solidifying that stable, I'm down with that.

There was also a stretch he looked unplayable. And I HATE big changes at the deadline, you're not winning that way. A tweak or tinker, sure. I want the core locked on opening night and spend Feb upgrading that 7th-9th man when you roll the ball out there and see what you're missing for playoff contention.

 

Pacers going for sweep

 

Thibodeau is getting outcoached.

 

Pacers played 11 guys and Thibs channeled his inner JJ and played 7.5. They’re wearing the Knicks down. Just don’t think you can win in today’s NBA with a 7/8 man rotation.

 

Denver did it two seasons ago..it depends on the players involved.

 

okc vs indy finals lmao

silver and co must be sweating hard

 

I’m saying I never found it. Can you copy the image address and post it if you know where it is …. maybe please?

 

Probably this...

 

Thanks! Perfect … couldn’t happen to a nicer ref!

 

Dang, guess I do owe Dort that $$$

 

Knicks are playing 4 on 5 on offense with Hart and Kat can't defend .

It has little to do with Thibodeau .

 

i just don't think they're going to be available to us. if they are, it will cost basically all the assets (duren won't cost expirings, i guess).

yeah, i keep wondering why he wasn't just included in the DFS trade if we're so interested.

true, but dantoni's suns turned the league on its head when everyone was doing the same thing. people forget that the nba trend for years was super sized frontcourts, basically two centers (one who had a midrange game and one who didn't). that option wasn't available to the suns, so they created a team to the coach's specifications that had talent but in a different configuration.

i just don't like the idea of overpaying for a mediocre center who isn't an ideal fit as we try to enter the luka era.

letting it walk is definitely bad policy, but it's been our policy, probably for financial reasons.

what's a wing? because we have lebron, luka, DFS, and rui (and vando) to play minutes at 3/4. if you mean more 2/3, then yes, we definitely need a guy who can guard 1s and 2s, and i think we might have more luck on the trade market there than with centers.

we go through this every year, but contracts that expire a year from now are less valuable--the receiving team has to have already given up on the following year or have a clear plan to use that expiring at the deadline themselves. like, dumping future money (which is the way you upgrade talent via trading expirings) just isn't as appetizing when you have 82 games to play before you reap the benefit. when injuries have already decimated your season and you're tanking, it's a much easier sell.

i'd rather be set on day 1, too, but you can't get blood from a stone. we'll find out in about 6 weeks, though. maybe the market will surprise me. i'm just not seeing quality center movement without a very high price right now.

i liked your idea of maybe trading into the draft, but then you have to be more patient than we've been--maluach probably won't be ready this year to anchor a playoff defense in the nba.

i guess a variation on that is get someone to agree to a knecht/1sts deal for a mid lotto pick, then try to move that on for duren (makes sense for detroit to stretch their clock a little and develop their next center while they have stewart under contract).