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

Laravia does a lot of good team things on the court but man does he have the yips.It’s now affecting his layups

 

This season, one of our biggest problems is we have three heavy minutes players who's best defensive position is power forward, and two of them, sometimes three of them are starters: Luka, Lebron, Rui.

So this slots Luka at his best defensive position. He's a big guy, he's hard to move. He gets 9-10 rebounds per game. It slots Dort as the small forward on defense. That's how is he used in OKC. They use the Wallace/Shai/Dort/JWill/Center line up a lot. Ellis slots in as the defensive point guard, and Reaves the defensive shooting guard. If its Watson/Eason, they are flexible, could defend 1,2, or 3. Grimes has that stocky build like Dort. Smith and Wade similar to Eason. So there are some options.

 

I really like the potential duo of Dort and either Eason or Watson. IMO that's a relatively gettable "Starting Foward/Wing duo" for us, especially Dort and Eason. Which just leaves the question mark for the starting Center position open, which is why I keep going back to the idea of us getting aggressive and creative on Draft Night to get an extra First or two in that class to secure someone like Aday Mara and/or Morez Johnson Jr.

If we pull that off, in addition to getting Dort and Eason/Watson, we'd ideally have our long term guys for a starting lineup around Luka and Austin. Maybe we have to go sign a backup Center like Mitchell Robinson or Robert Williams III in free agency with the MLE to have a more experienced 'starting' Center and do Center by Committee for a year or two to develop the drafted Big(s), but I think that could work with keeping Hayes onboard.

I do agree though with your last point; we need to hold onto LaRavia, Thiero, Bufkin and Manon and continue developing them for the long haul. Even with Jake's shot being so inconsistent, I still love his contributions to the team defensively.

 

Yeah, I'm getting more and more onboard with the idea of us getting Dort. I fully expect him to get his fouls called way more often by the refs once he dons the Purple & Gold, but once he readjusts his game, I think Dort would be a great addition to the team in a similar way to how Marcus has been this year. Or going back to the Kobe-Pau era, Dort could be our new Metta World Peace.

I think a starting four of Luka/Austin/Dort/Eason is very likely/doable for us this summer. The fact that there's a likelihood that we just remain stuck with Ayton and Hayes next year is a big reason why I'm hoping we draft another Big or two, so that even if they aren't fully ready to start next year, they can at least have a quick addition to the rotation and roster and develop into being ready to start in another year or two.

I definitely agree though that we need to re-sign Kennard. Dude's a game changer for us in generating offense off the bench.

 

Surround Luka/Reaves with defenders and shooters with a couple of lob dunkers on the cheap and this team will light it up and be super fun to watch.

I'd love to keep Smart as well. Not a fan of the Lakers tax on his 3P% but he's such a dog out there and still a very good defender and high IQ player. You can tell he loves playing alongside Luka+Reaves.

Not a huge fan of Ayton but at $8 million, it is what it is. He's still good value at that price.

Really not seeing a role for Rui on the Lakers anymore. His style of game just doesn't fit the pace that Luka+Reaves will want to play at. Too stiff and stationary out there. Rui would have been great for the 90's and 2000's style of basketball.

Kennard is a keeper.

LaRavia at $6 million is a keeper.

Only question is Vando and what to do with LeBron.

If you can find a team to trade Vando and Knecht for a $15 million dollar player range, give Knecht his team option and trade them both. Watching Vando hit the side of the backboard multiple times per week is not going to cut it.

 

Vando might end up getting waived and stretched, and Knecht just waived. Lakers would pay Vando around 5.4 million per year for 5 years, instead of his 12-13 mil or so next 2 years. This move might have to be done if the Lakers want to throw big money at a Watson or Eason. Lakers could easily eat Daltons dead money because they would likely be significantly under the 1st apron, even after using cap room, and signing Reaves, Hayes, and using room exception. Ayton could be bought out and stretched.

 

lakers needed all 81 of those pts by kobe too for the most part. i remember they were losing for most of that game

i'd still rank his 62 pt game against dallas over 81 though. that, and luka's 73 pt game are the two best single game offensive performances of the modern era in my opinion. if phil hadn't benched kobe for the entire 4th in that game, he might have reached 100 the way he was playing