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

To be clear, my stance hasn't changed there. I don't think Reaves is untradeable. I think few people are. My ears are open to a deal but it has to be a home run.

 

I'm not advocating it. I'd rather just build the best roster we can going forward.

 

I do feel like we tend to focus on just swapping out stars without addressing the other issues holding us back. Over the last several years we've had 2 to 3 guys who are really good at basketball surrounded by guys who are a) okay on some nights, but aren't that skilled at the things we actually need and b) out and out bad players some of which aren't even in the league anymore.

My main point overall is just that I'd like to see us address the other 12 guys on the roster instead of always looking at the guys we have that actually can play.

 

Sure, we'll see how it goes.

 

Playing himself out of the league?
Just getting annoying that he's absolutely useless in so many aspects of the games

Lakers need a rebounder desperatetly and he the opposite of thst

 

Trade #1
Lakers get: Jarrett Allen, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, and Keon Ellis (Sign-and Trade starting at 22.9 million)
Cavs get: Dalton Knecht, 2031 Lakers 1st, and 2033 Lakers 1st

Pelicans get: Jared Vanderbilt, DeAndre Ayton, 2026 Lakers 1st (23), and 2026 Cavs 1st (19)

Trade #2
Lakers get: Sam Merill
Cavs get: 2033 Lakers 2nd

Transaction #3
Cavs sign LeBron James with full Non-Tax-Payer MLE of $15,139,200

Transaction #4
Lakers waive Bronny so he could go play with his dad.

Why for Lakers?

• Jones is an elite starting wing defender, who has shown he can be a good enough shooter to keep defenses honest, although I would like him to increase his volume.
• Ellis is starting level, and is an elite point-of-attack defender, who is also an excellent three-point-shooter.
• Allen is a lob-catching starting 5, who could also rebound and defend.
• Bey is an upgrade over LaRavia. Excellent shooter, sufficient defender, and good rebounder for his position.
• Lakers eat 1.26 million of dead money from Bronny's partial guarantee, but they could fill the roster spot with a minimum deal and it would be around the same as Bronny's full 2.3 million deal.
• Salary dump Vanderbilt
• Trim some fat (Knecht, Ayton)
• Merill is a sharp shooter that could replace Kennard.

Why for Cavs?

• They shed enough salary to get underneath the 1st apron.
• Allows them to use full Non-Tax-Payer MLE on Lebron
• Mobley could move to his more natural position at the 5.
• Obtain two unprotected Lakers 1st round-picks that could potentially be valuable.
• Knecht is filler, but expiring. They take a flyer on him.

Why for Pelicans?

• Jones doesn't seem to be happy there.
• Loosing Jones and Bey makes them worse in the short-term, which improves their chances for a better 2027 1st-round pick.
• They are going into a rebuild, and have no 1st-round picks in the 2026 draft, so receiving the #19 and #23 picks is intriguing to them.
• They have to absorb Vanderbilt, but they are not going anywhere the next two years anyway. They do it to get the two immediate picks.

 

That's it

Trade Luka and AR for 2nd round picks