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

I do see the foul baiting, but it’s nowhere near the level that Beerdo McFloppington was doing.

 

Minnesota up early in first quarter by 16.
It is 20 after 1 quarter and Caruso for his defense getting fouls unlike games in Oklahoma and vs Jokic

 

MVP scored 2 points and worst -22
Around 5 minutes left in second quarter

 

Well..It looks like playing " great defense", is more or less dependent on, what the officials allow you to get away with. This may change from game to game.

 

Yikes

Wolves over Thunder 143-101

 

The Wolves who played the Lakers finally showed up

 

Man this is a classic Scott Foster NBA wants to extend themis.series reffing game.

Every 50/50 call going against the Pacers in this second half

 

Brunson’s 5th foul was an awful call. Then there was a late travel call on a KAT bucket (it was a travel, but very late). Then a soft call a moment ago against Bridges to give Halli 2 free throws.

I’m not seeing any agenda, just the typical incompetent NBA officiating.

 

As bad as the NBA officiating is the WNBA is even worse. If you can believe it.

 

Hey man. Nothing to get hostile about. I wasn’t directing it that way. All love in here. I’m just saying he is needed here.

 

Basically I was saying Ayton would play like Shaq or Anthony Davis for a new contract. In a contract year.

generally you like to acquire those players at whatever cost because you are getting maximum effort. Especially at that players skill. As you saw what Ayton did the last time he was due for a big contract.

Ayton is a former number 1 pick. He’s 26 he’s gonna get another max contract.

even Russell was an all star before his max deal with Golden State.

I’d like to see the Lakers get that production from Ayton and then they can decide if they want to pay him. Generally we are a team that acquires our bigs instead of drafting them. And Ayton can be the next one.

with our scoring 16-10 4 blocks a night controlling the paint is all that is needed. Doing the Bynum role when Kobe was here.

with LeBron and Luka here we need a player like that. We need that kind of Center.

just honest no Kap no second rate Center is going to win us a championship in this NBA it ain’t happening. Look at Towns doing work. Turner Reid Gobert Holmgren.


You need a quality big. We are going to have to get a great tier one. That allows teams to get Luka better shots and Lebron. A Center that makes teams pay for coming up on him.

my alternative is the only type of Center that offers that.

I’ll pay the 35 million for one season and roll the dice.

 

yeah, i only caught the late third and fourth quarter, but it seemed fairly even to me--and i complain about the refs a lot. what no one wants to talk about is ny getting a lead and holding it for a while without brunson. they put five defenders on the floor, and the pacers' offense stopped generating good shots. on the other hand, towns just put the offense on his back, and carlisle has no real answers for him (local hero myles turner was getting cooked so bad they move siakam to towns at one point).

on the other end, siakam hit a few nice shots, but when he finally missed a couple, it was ballgame. question is how long thibs can afford to sit brunson during games so that his team can play better defense. is towns always going to be able to carry the offense? and what will carlisle's adjustments be (because these were some new wrinkles)?

i generally agree with this, and it's why i'm open to ayton. i just don't agree he'll get a max deal, even if he blows up.

i'd gladly pay 35 million for one year of contract year ayton, perhaps with the full possibility of him walking in FA alongside lebron should things not work out. hear me out: if we shed vando in an ayton deal, we're poised to go into the 2026-27 offseason with a TON of cap space, austin's bird rights (and a cap hold below his likely salary), and luka the only guy under contract. this is all assuming (and i think it's possible) that lebron hangs it up after next year.

but this may not be possible. as others have said--it's unlikely portland takes vando as part of an ayton trade, and i'd rather do that than rui at this point.

still, i wonder how much flexibility in 2026 matters to us as we plan this offseason. guess we'll see by who we target.

 

I hope you have a great Memorial Day.

 

I gurantee. You will hear Rob Pelinka talk about maintaining flexibility for 2026. That’s the big year. They made this Luka trade eyeing that.

What they have to keep in the back of their head is Luka. You gotta make sure you have a player for him.


This ish gets dicey. I’m full on assumption this will be Lebrons final season in the NBA. He will retire here.

You’re gonna wanna pull an Ayton cause it’s the best you can due getting a guy who can run with Lebron and Luka filling your Center posistion.


They gotta think logically. Portland will ask for Hachiumura but I think we’ll keep him and force Vando on them.

essentially they’re getting Kinect and that 2031 pick unprotected.


The other alternatives Clint Capela Paul Reed stop gap guys. You bring Hayes back.


Luka needs a dude. We don’t want a Dwight Howard situation. And I’m sure the Lakers will do everything to lock him down this summer. With a deal similar to they gave to Anthony Davis.


2026 is gonna be the year. That’s the year everybody will get ready. Like we saw in 2010


That’s Jaren Jackson Jr.

Kevin Durant.

so Rob talks in code. When he first got here and said we will be aggressive. That meant we are trading the kids.

and we saw that.

Dengelo Russell was gone.

Lonzo Ball Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart were all traded for Anthony Davis.

they swung for the superstar and they signed Lebron James.

this regime has always consulted in what trades they are going to do with said stars outside of the Anthony Davis trade.

when we put Claxton next to Ayton what more are you probably giving up in the trade for a guy who’s the same age????

 

The big overarching question of the offseason is the push-pull between setting ourselves up for a prolonged run with Luka and going all in to get LeBron one more ring on the way out. It's tempting to say we have Luka now so we can afford to be patient, but it's entirely possible that we never find a running mate for Luka as good as a 40 year old LeBron. The East looks like it's going to be pretty bad next year. It's possible next year is our best shot at a title for a few years.

 

.... understand the intent but dislike the wording. "going all in to get another ring while we still have LeBron contributing at a relatively high level of play toward that goal". Health willing for all our most important guys as for all teams always.

 

I really like the post. Both posts. I’ve been screaming that. We have to go all in with Tatum out.

I’ve always been the biggest Lakers fan. You don’t get more Lakers fan than being born the year the Lakers win the championship in 1985. And beat the C Bags.

Im a NBA officionado. The C Bags looked unbeatable with Tatum the way they play. And after we traded Davis I was thinking how do we get this done.


Now with Tatum out. It’s wide open. Philly sucks. I think we can handle Indiana The Knicks are the Knicks. Cleveland isn’t a playoff team. And we see how Milwaukee flames out.

this off season is huge. I think LeBron knows that to. If I really objectively look at this team. I stick to depth. Add on.

Go all in on Ayton. Trade Kinect the 2031 unprotected pick and Vanderbilt for Ayton. If you have to include Vincent whatever do it.

I go Ayton not Claxton.

sign a cheap cheap Deangelo Russell as a scoring guard to come off the bench he can play next to Luka this is contingent on Vincent being traded or play him and Vincent together.

sign a Bruce Brown for bench sign Clint Capella Paul Reed.


Now you have a lot of depth

Dendre Ayton Doreen Finney Smith Lebron James Austin Reeves Luka Doncic.

bench Clint Capella Paul Reed Rui Hachiumura Deangelo Russell/Gabe Vincent Bronnie James Bruce Brown.

Ayton and Russell are essentially one year rentals. Prove it contracts. They will play their a** off.


Or you can go the Kevin Durant route trade everybody for Kevin Durant have LeBron James Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant. Sign Vets.

we have to be active. I think Hachiumura is huge. Because he can play multiple positions in the playoffs center he can shoot. He can guard 1-5. And has really developed into a great defender.

I just think the player signed has to be an impact player.

you gotta keep LeBron fresh you gotta play Hachiumura 35 minutes during the regular season. Look how the Pacers empty out their bench.


And look how Reddick refused to play his bench.

 

And I don’t care what anybody says I still like Demar Derozen. How do we bring him here?