2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I hear you. What do you recommend?

 

Not sure Herb Jones is better than the current play of Vando right now.

I’d prefer to trade with OKC than the Pelicans. Their players have been brought along in a winning culture, playing the right way and experiencing playoff basketball. That means a lot. I’d try to go for two of Hartenstein, Dort and Ajay Mitchell.

They need to cut salary to keep the team together so I wouldn’t mind sending them the three firsts to trade with us. You know they’re licking their lips thinking they can keep replacing rotation players on the cheap through the draft.

Smart / Kennard
Reaves / LaRavia
Dort / Vando
Luka / Rui
IHart / Hayes

We need another 3&D guard that can be our POA defender. Not sure who we could slot in that 3&D slot as a pseudo PG. Maybe we can convince Keon Ellis to sign with us?

 

Yeah, the Pelicans trade is not a be all end all, just a potential option. I packaged Herb and Missi together more to keep things simple. I have brought up absorbing Dort's 18.2 million too. But I like how we could cleanly fit Jones, Missi, and Watson. It would be harder to do with Dort, since he makes around 4 million more than Herb. I like Mitchell too, although he has a very small contract so maybe less urgent from OKC, although he is expiring. I like Hartenstein, but I'm not a fan of the fit with us. There were a few people not crazy about my OKC ideas too. As fans we shouldn't be so rigid about the exact players we get. I'm open minded about it.

Basically, we need a point-of-attack guard, a wing defender, and a good lob-catching 5. The latter two need to preferably be able to shoot 33%+ from three on 5+ attempts per 36 minutes.

Potential options

POA
Dort
Ellis
Jones
AJ Mitchell
Dosunmu
Okoro
Caruso?
Suggs -unlikely
KCP (short-term)

WING
Murphey
Eason
Watson
Bey
Anunoby-unlikely
Mikal Bridges-unlikely
Champagne
Champagne
Wiggins (short-term)
Cam Johnson (not ideal)
Porter
Gordon

LOB THREAT BIG
Kessler
Missi
Richards
Robinson

I mean, some more realistic than others and not a lot of "perfect" options, but it's a list. The point is to try and realistically get one player from each category, with the projected $45,261,381 cap room set for July 1st.

 

I just don’t think it’s likely we manage to secure 3 starting players. How many teams have managed to do that in a single offseason? It’s pretty rare.

OKC is considerably over the cap. They probably want to lower their salary by 50m. Dort (18m), Hartenstein (28.5m) and Kenrich Williams (7m) all have team options. So what’s better, letting them go for nothing or trading them for draft capital to a team with cap space? It also weakens a major rival.

 

I like the Kenrich idea too. A little older for the timeline, but very good role player, who could man that wing spot. Idk the history with it tbh and haven't considered that. I just know we suposedly are willing to send out those assets out for Giannis, why not these 3 guys?

 

he's going back to cleveland for his last season

 

I’m hoping they can use cap space to sign two of these 3 players.Kessler,Watson or Eason. All are RFA so a tall order for sure.I feel OKC is an interesting trade partner as well

 

…it was a joke

 

i like showtime's idea just as proof of concept. that exact thing won't happen, but it shows what's possible. the subsequent list is also helpful, but it's not exhaustive, since there will be lots of movement of players under contract, imo, and we'll be involved somewhere.

i agree we're not getting three starters, but i don't think two is impossible. and two would be enough to contend, imo.

i also agree that looking at okc, denver, and cleveland makes sense as all are staring at the second apron.

i know that none of them would like to help us, but they won't have a ton of options to reduce payroll without significant pain.

like, if we offer a protected 1st to eat all of dort's salary, can okc beat that? is some team going to give up a prospect AND provide salary relief. i don't think the nets are going to do that, even with the theory of dort netting more picks later in trade. now, maybe the bulls spoil our plans, but their prospect cupboard is basically bare aside from buzelis, who's untouchable. i'm sure okc will scour the league looking for anything but us, but it's slim picking if you want immediate relief.

same with denver--if watson tells them he plans to sign an RFA deal with us unless you agree to an S&T, getting a protected first beats being in a position where you have to sell one of gordon/watson/johnson and everyone knows it. the key here would be watson playing ball, which...he's an la guy, so i think we have the leg up on bkn, chicago, etc.

if either okc cuts/trades hartenstein or denver cuts valanciunas, maybe they take one year of opted-in ayton as replacement in trade scenarios?

anyway, it's a long way off, but the options are the point, and this is just a few of them (e.g., would okc give up some of their firsts for us to eat caruso's deal?).

 

i think we only have enough money to make one RFA offer that would cause discomfort, and we couldn't play a game where we try to arrange two trades using a finite amount of space, if that makes sense. if we want one of the RFAs, i think we target just one and use the threat of a HUGE RFA offer to get a more sensible value in trade. and again, maybe denver says screw you, dumps johnson to chicago for a first, and signs watson. but we at least made them weaker.