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

i'd argue the spurs were a big ONE and 2-3 2s (leonard came on later). this is a model i'm totally down with. luka with reaves and another reaves-level player, then nicely-fitting role players.

both the gs and boston teams above were only possible for very brief windows due to cba issues/weird luck (the cap rise in one case, al horford's renaissance and holiday's weird and sudden trade availability in the other).

and i've said we can't copy okc (or indy) because we can't tank and wait. we need to copy denver, who consolidated and grabbed two starters (gordon and kcp), then developed role players. we need two high level starters.

the team on top seems totally impossible (how do you keep kennard and add melton? and that's beyond reaves agreeing to a S&T and milwaukee also being on board with that...), but yes, it's probably better. i could name a bunch of unrealistic options that are better.

the second team is very realistic, imo, and it wouldn't also empty the cupboard of picks in case things went sideways.

 

I want whatever Luka wants, because that's the option that Rob will pursue. Now I have no idea if this is true or not, but if it is...don't be surprised if we are in pursuit of Giannis by draft night. Luka is in the LeBron's position of asking for AD if he chooses, so again, whatever he's thinking is going to be our marching orders. I don't have a problem with that at all. He might say...I want to play with Austin and improve around the margins. IDK...We shall see.

https://www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi/news/luka-doncic-asked-lakers-about-potential-trade-for-giannis-antetokounmpo-report#:~:text=Luka Doncic Asked Lakers About Potential Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo: Report

 

I don't know if Spencer Dinwiddie is totally shot yet or not, but he’s available for a playoff pick up too.

 

I hope they get them too.

 

I’ve spelled it out here before. But here it is again…

Trade 1: Portis (14.5m) for Vando & Knecht (combined: 16.6m)

Trade 2: Giannis (58.4m) for Reaves S&T (42m) + 3 firsts + 2 swaps + 2 seconds (Milwaukee controls our picks for the next 5 years)

After the trade:

Luka (46m) / x / Bronny (2.3m)
x / x / x
x / Jake (6m)
Giannis (58.4m) / Portis (14.5m) / Adou (2.1m)
Ayton (8.1m) / Hayes (4m) / x

That’s 141.3m. We have 25m in cap space. Sign LeBron to 15m. Sign Smart to 10m. We then have the full MLE, split it between Kennard and Melton. Resign Hayes to 10m with bird rights. Resign Kleber to the minimum.

Luka (46m) / Melton (6m) / Bronny (2.3m)
Smart (10m) / Kennard (9.1m) / Development Spot
Lebron (15m) / Jake (6m)
Giannis (58.4m) / Portis (14.5m) / Adou (2.1m)
Ayton (8.1m) / Hayes (10m) / Kleber (3m)

Thats 192.8m in salary. Below the first apron by 16-17m.

Maybe some will argue that Lebron won’t sign for 15m? Ok then give him 20m. Sign Melton to 5 and split the MLE between Kennard and Smart.

If you can’t make Melton work, sign Thybulle instead. Or any other ring chaser.

If you argue that Ayton won’t opt in, ok, go for Turner with the extra money instead of Portis.

If LeBron leaves, give 25m to Watson. Or 15m to Ellis and 10m to Kennard with the full MLE going to Smart.

I don’t get this notion that we can’t make things work with cap wise with Giannis at all. There’s plenty of ways to make it work.

 

The word is Giannis doesn't want LA. Sure, that could change, but I think he ends up in Miami or NYK. IMO.

 

And I assure you Houston will do that.

 

It was the annual f*** Silver NBA night.

 

Yep Finally you said it.

 

Edwards Divenchenzo Randle Reid Mcdaniels.

Yall Want that in the 1st round??? And Conley and Gobert.

 

They want to avoid Sota at all costs .. Lost one series against them and couldn't even win a game when Jokic scored 61 ..

Hopefully Lakers will lose against Utah just to mess with Denver

 

Yeah it would be full circle. It would be fun too. And we do a HOF a solid as he can retire in the playoffs, which bodes well with players. And we piss on the Clips which is extra fun

We won't win any playoff game on talent or physical skills. It will be around being smart and CP3 is great at that. He could give us 10-15 good bench minutes + be in the sidelines analyzing the game and finding holes we can exploit. He's one of the best IQ guys in the history of the game.

It depends on how he is physically. If he's completely washed it can have the opposite effect and feel like we are playing around with the playoffs and not taking it seriously.
I'd like it though as a lover of the game.

Yeah Missi has been in my radar. He's certainly the archetype of center we need. May be too raw right now for what we need though
But Pels traded a 1st for Queen and I don't see how they have enough minutes for both, so would certainly explore a trade with them.
I like that proposal by giving this year's 1st to NOLA, makes sense for them.
If they wanted a shot on Knecht would be even better

We have talking here about using our first on a center. So trading that pick for one that is older and therefore potentially closer to being ready to play in a contender is even better

 

This one we do agree on. If Watson can’t happen, the route I’ve been thinking about lately is letting Rui walk and going for a Grimes/John Collins combo in free agency (I think you’ve been pro Collins before). Smart and Ayton opt in.

Reaves / Smart
Grimes /Kennard
Luka / Jake
LeBron / Collins
Ayton / Hayes

I think it’s financially possible. I’d try to flip Ayton/Knecht/pick for Gafford but the Mavs have probably blocked our number. I like the idea of keeping at least some of our tradeable picks for when we have to trade for the next Reaves-level 2b guy after LeBron leaves or ages out of that role.

 

few problems. one is that i think you have hayes's cap hold at 4m, when it's closer to 7. another is that you have us having access to the full MLE, when it must be renounced to use cap space. you then have the room mle, which is 9m-ish.

add in that i'm pretty sure melton is due for a bigger raise than something close to the tpmle (and gs has his early bird rights), and it's STILL highly questionable that reaves wants to go to milwaukee. i'm also not positive the portis for vando/knecht deal would happen (someone could offer an expiring and seconds or to simply absorb portis into space/exception (his salary comes in at under the mle by just enough, and the new cba lets you use that for salary absorption--any playoff team with the mle might strongly consider just using it for this purpose).

so, yeah, some of it is literally impossible, and a lot of it is hinging on some pretty unlikely stuff (especially given how the market shook out last year, with guys like capela coming in over the tpmle, etc.).

 

Not going to lie, I'm feeling a tad nervous seeing Rob sign NSJ over Timme here. I get the decision in a vacuum, but I really need to see Rob get over his love for prioritizing smaller combo guards this summer.

I swear, if Mo Krivas and/or Morez Johnson Jr. are both available for selection on Draft Night when our number comes up and Rob picks a guard like Christian Anderson over them... Dereliction of duty right there IMO.

 

Thank god we have Nick Smith Jr for the playoffs.

 

It’s ridiculous to me that people who have seen both Giannis and Luka play for any amount of time still try to talk themselves into the idea that pairing them is a good one.
You can’t just state that both have been in the MVP race for years and claim that it will work.
This is the same line of thinking that got us in trouble with Westbrick.

 

It’s ridiculous to me that people who have seen both Giannis and Luka play for any amount of time still try to talk themselves into the idea that pairing them is a good one.
You can’t just state that both have been in the MVP race for years and claim that it will work.
This is the same line of thinking that got us in trouble with Westbrick.

 

it's obviously nowhere near as bad as the westbrook gambit, but it's definitely along the same lines of logic. i just don't think you can just roll the ball out there with most stars anymore.

 

It’s the facts that they both need the ball to be at their best and that Luka’s most effective two man game relies on the PnR- something Giannis chooses not to take advantage of.
Also, we need to create a team with more depth- trading for Giannis makes us even more asset poor.