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

You can’t get cocky and say we have Luka we still are showing Luka that he can win here and maximize his championship window.

 

For sure, I in no way want LeBron gone. I hope he’s here for a few more years. But I think there’s a good chance next season is his last.

 

I kind of want Russell playing that Nick Van Excel role off the bench when he was on Dallas. Just be the scoring guard. Go get yours. He can rejuvenate his career like that. He can revitalize his career like that. You protect him with defensive guys next to him Bruce Brown and Bronnie James. Bronnie can be that lock down defender hitting that open three. He has the NBA body.

Nobody is paying Russell we can get him dirt cheap. What’s the deal on Bogdan Bogdanovic Brooklyn Nets????? I’d love to sign him for our Bench great shooter. You need shooters like that next to Luka.

 

Also I’m signing Ben Simmons. Strictly for defense. He can help with some ball handeling facilitating. What I like about him is he can be a perimeter defender for us. Lock down defender for us.

when we’re playing Anthony Edwards Jalen Green Kawaii Leonard Jamal Murray Michael Porter Jr. Donavan Mitchell Jalen Brunson Pascal Siakm we’ll need that. Jaylen Williams Shai Gilleus Alexander.

 

Nobody should ever mention D’Angelo Russell on any Laker forum ever suggesting a 3rd tenure with this team.

I’m fairly sure crack is involved if this is being suggested.

“Just Say No”

—Nancy Reagan (Probably)

 

yeah, i think the dlo bridge is burned. and i'm ok with that. reaves has shown he can do a lot of dlo stuff (save handle against POA pressure) without the baggage. plus, i think rob and jj may have joined lebron in hating him.

i'm also not sure simmons is the right guy here. his defense is very much like vando, and what he has offensively over vando (ballhandling, passing) is something we have three guys to do at a very high level, so no reason to ever use him this way.

the team that should look hard at simmons is phx. in theory, he's an ideal backcourt complement to booker. play a stretch-5 (brolo?) and two catch and shoot wings (trade durant for those) with those guys in the backcourt, and i think you can surprise some folks.

why am i planning phx's offseason? i'm bored.

 

I mean if you can get Ayton and sign Bruce Brown I think people are underestimating how good the Lakers automatically get. It really helps have a 5 man unit that you can trust because you can add guys to fill holes and suddenly you've got a legit 7 man playoff rotation with 2 guys who got minutes in the NBA Finals! Brown gets you a proven playoff performer who can guard multiple guard and forward spots and Ayton fixes the center problem.

I'm leaning towards getting Ayton despite his ugly contract and him only being playing basketball to feed his video game habit- hes expiring, he won't take a lot to get, and if you look at the advanced metrics if you can just get him to play like he did in Phoenix you get a legit top 10 center in the league. This is the type of risks I like to take similar to what Indiana did with Siakam.

 

Genius post.

 

Really?????? No crack. I’m pretty educated in my assessment.

In the NBA we like to get Value. Deangelo Russell for 1 year for 1 million is a steal.

Deangelo Russell never had problems with players here. He and Austin Reeves were great golfing buddies.


If you really wanna look at the stats did you see his 45 point game against Milwaukee???


He played exceptionally well on the Nets for a tanking team.

He put up numbers against Denver his problem was defense. Played pretty good when he came back against us.

the Buisness side in me I never let a personal agenda get in the way of a player.


Depth I need a guy to come in when Luka goes to the bench. With Bronnie potentially brown those are my defensive guys. I need offense. But why am I explaining this to you???

 

Ben Simmons is needed especially if Vando is shipped out in a Ayton trade.

Why would I do a overpay for say a Ty Jerome

when I can bring back Deangelo for dirt cheap at a 1 million veterans prove it deal???


My money is going towards Capela Reed and Simmons.

 

I don’t make this stuff up. I actually do my research. Did you see how Russell played with Dwindwidle when he was coached by Atkinson? He actually plays great off the ball.

did you see how Luka played with Dwinwidle Brunson and Irving.???? He needs affective scorers around him.

This can be anybody. I’m not tied to a guy.

Jordan Clarkson

Malcolm Brondgdon

Chris Paul.

but you better get the guy.

you aren’t going to get Jrue Holiday. Chris Paul will have suiters. Collin Sexton will cost too much.

im trying to get cheap alternatives who do the same thing.

Sheoeder is nice.


I would also like to sign Tim Hardaway jr. Also.

so based on Russell’s skillet and familiarity with the offense he fits that criteria.

 

We’ve got shooters I don’t want to trade everything for Camara.

give me that cheap defense Ben Simmons Bruce Brown.

 

Ever since he was bought out I’ve always thought Ben Simmons would be a sneaky good pickup. His passing ability, rebounding and on ball defense makes up for his lack of offense. Would make a great small ball 5 to pair with Lebron.

 

Exactly this is the guy that we need Simmons. This is the guy to help LeBron. Meta world peace was a way more advanced scorer but did so much for Kobe. We need that blueprint. I’m still giving you guys in their prime playing for money.

Ayton 26 years old


Simmons 28 years old.

it really pisses me off we lost to Minnesota just looking how awful they look. They got a gift against Golden State Curry getting hurt.

we should’ve beat them. We lost because our coach was horrible got outcoached and out schemed by Finch.

Reddick not subing our starters in the second half against Minnesota really cost us. And then the baphonery in game 1 cost us the game. Him not having us ready physicality after a week off of and preparation is inexcusable.

so Reddick really cost us. Can’t emphasize enough how important coaching is.

 

With Luka as advanced he is. And as great as he is. Not winning a championship is a failure.

 

Everything is not glamour offense somethings you don’t see.

Having Simmons make guys uncomfortable on the perimeter with Hachiumura will be huge.

with Ayton anchoring the middle that’s a huge difference for Luka and Lebron and Dorian Finney Smith handeling defense. We’re long we have length and then we’ll be able to dictate where we want to push guys to force guys to defensively.


We’ll be able to switch. And then our bench with Capela and Reed. You add Reeves. Now your bad perimeter defense guys who are great on offense Reeves Luka and Lebron are protected.

and maybe you can still get a Bruce Brown.

 

You know you can edit your posts, right?

 

I'm open to Ayton, but it should be noted that he is pretty injury prone. He averages around 55ish games a season over his career. So we can pencil him in for 60 odd games, but he'd have to be managed to be healthy for the playoffs which means we need another backup to soak up some minutes. I do like that his rebounding has stayed consistent if he gets 30 mins. I think with Luka he could have a nice year.

Another con, is that it's not a simple trade; you need to trade Vanderbilt, Kleber, Vincent and Knecht for Ayton. And why would Portland do that? You'd probabaly have to send a first to make it work.

I wonder would anyone do: Ayton and Camara for Reaves, Vando and Gabe? That would leave us with:

Luka / Shake
Camara / Goodwin
Lebron / Knecht
Rui / DFS
Ayton / Kleber

Luka
Lebron
Rui
Camara
Ayton
DFS

We'd probably need one more player for our playoff roster or maybe one of Goodwin, Knecht or Kleber to be playoff ready.

The other issue is, if Ayton leaves after 1 season, you've traded Reaves, Vando and Gabe for Camara.

 

You’d have to lock up Ayton to an extension for that to work. I like it cause I like Camera.

but I like the first trade better maybe you entice them with the 2031 first round pick. Kinect is another 1st round pick. He’s not just a throw in. I like that trade cause we keep Reeves.


I like the second trade because we keep Kinect. We still have Kinect for his shooting to off set Reeves and we have Camara. Camara isn’t the ball handler Reeves is. But we have Luka. I think we are deeper with the second trade.


Why does Portland make this trade??? They aren’t keeping him. He’s leaving. They aren’t resigning him. Get something for him.


They are going to start playing Donavan Clingman. Why not get Kinect that 2031 1st round pick that can be anything. You add that to Avilla Sharpe and Clingman and Henderson.


Sharpe and Camara overlap. They kind of do the same thing. Camara is a better shooter.


The team is for sale they would like to get that Ayton salary off of their roster.

 

I'm wondering if they'd rather use their expirings to go big fish hunting, would they want to make an offer for a KD? I don't see Giannis happening. But they've got some real nice pieces to team up with a star. It just makes more sense for them to do that before trading with us.

They've got lots of interesting expirings:

• Ayton: 35.5m
• Simons: 27.7m
  
• Timelord: 13.3m
• Thybulle: 11.5m

They've also got Jerami Grant at 32m and Scoot at 10.8m. They could easily put together a package with some of those expirings and their 6 tradable firsts. Let's say Grant, Thybulle and Scoot plus 2-3 firsts for KD and Micic. The trade saves Phoenix 8.5m, gives them a young prospect in Scoot, a good wing in Thybulle, a reclamation project in Grant plus some desperately needed firsts.

I wonder if Portland would then be interested to do the Ayton & Camara swap with us for Rui, Gabe & Knecht + a first. It would really build out there team.

Simons / Gabe
Sharpe / Knecht
Avdija / Rui
KD / Rui
Clingan / Timelord

That's a playoff team.

And it would allow us to roll out:

Luka / Shake
Reaves / Goodwin
Camara / DFS
Lebron / Vando
Ayton / Kleber

+ best available player for the TPMLE (unless Lebron wants to take a paycut to bring in NAW)

At that point we got Luka, Lebron, Reaves, DFS, Camara, Ayton as our playoff roster and we're still missing a solid 7th and 8th man in our playoff rotation. We'd be banking on hitting with the TPMLE and a vet min as well - unless Goodwin steps up or Kleber returns to form.