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

 

lol, talk about burying the lede, touting a +8.8 with lebron and without the other two whilst ignoring the referenced tweet demonstrating a +17.9 for luka/reaves and no lebron.

but i guess i know what to expect from an account called "Witness King James".

 

i don't think the pelicans think they're rebuilding, so i don't think they participate here.

also, can cleveland aggregate salaries, or would the deals have to be split so that we absorb some first (e.g., just absorb allen, then do the other part)?

anyway, i would love this for us, but i don't know if the other teams participate.

i do wonder if a smaller deal that nets ellis and allen for us and allows lebron (and bronny) to get to cleveland could happen, though.

 

Looking like Rui will be another burned asset. He should’ve been traded and especially after Kennard was acquired.

 

if we traded rui for an expiring and a 2nd (probably his value right now), this place would have revolted, lol.

 

That’s true I was wanting to get whatever we could for him. I thought he became redundant and not needed after the deal with ATL. Many would probably disagree with that I just think we could’ve sold high on him.

 

Could make it so we just trade Knecht + 2031 for Allen + Ellis for trade #1 and the 2033 2nd for Merill for trade #2. Cavs would end up just $31,625 under the apron, with 14 roster spots. So, it would be best for them if they could cut some additional salary to create some breathing room and flexibility. They could trade the 19th pick somewhere, or salary dump Strus, or waive and stretch Shroeder. Stuff like that. But as far as our end, we are good. Lakers could also send them Bronny + the 2033 1st in exchange for the #19 pick. Lakers could pay Ellis 21.3 million in that scenario. If Cavs go with 14 players to start the season, and fill three roster spots with rookie minimum deals, they would be 2.7 million under the apron at that point. A good enough cushion to sign players later in the season. Not sure why we need 2 late-first round rookies on our roster, but it's another good way of utilizing the cap room. They could be developed or used as trade chips. But still have some underperforming players in Vanderbilt, Ayton, and Knecht.

 

f*** that ...Redick is damn clueless. The only real value, we are going to get out of Rui and Luke, is from volume shooting. They should be avg 15-16 3pt attempts per game between them. You have to utilize the friggin tools you have. You have two guys shooting in the 40's from deep...get them some damn shots coach! This might actually require, running more sets what that in mind?

It understood that neither are great defenders or rebounders, but they have a high level needed skill, that opens up space for our big 3. He should be able to figure out how to use these guys more. Hell Rui was a damn starter

 

maybe not you, but lots of folks. i feel like people were claiming we needed to move a bunch of firsts and take on salary for role players at the deadline, but maybe i'm misremembering the tone.

 

I think this year will be seen in a few years as a total waste of time. You don't waste another year of your superstar's prime just because you don't want to trade Lebron.

The Cavs would have probably given us something for Lebron last year after the Luka trade as they were and still are desperate for a deep playoff run.

am I wrong about feeling this way?

 

Yep