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

James Harden will sign a $60 million, 2-year contract with Cleveland (Jake Fisher)
The amount of Harden's expected contract has become known.
According to insider Jake Fisher, it is expected that James Harden will waive his $42.3 million player option and sign a new two-year contract
so LeBron is staying?

 

We were 29th in rim protection last season.
We have to improve our Center position. Ayton is fine as a backup.

 

I don't think you're getting the point - Suggs is clearly a better player but his salary is is also much bigger - he's going to take up 18-20% of your cap. at 25-30 million a pop you want more than a guy who frankly his older comp in Marcus Smart outplayed him this year in the playoffs.

Yes it's one off but this is a big risk for the Lakers - it not a no-brainer by any stretch. Could work out great if the playoffs was an aberration but there is a strong chance that you get a player who hinders a Luka led offense in the playoffs. Luka passing to 3 point shooters is a key part to fully use his talent and if Suggs should like he did this season, JJ is going to be forced into some tough and awkward decisions

 

Sure, I was just commenting on the comparison of Suggs' offense to Vando. I agree there's risk to it, but Suggs' career three-point percentage is the exact same as Derrick Jones Jr. And DJJ's three-point percentage started to trend up as soon as he started playing with Luka. I think Suggs is a worth-while risk because you know what you get from him defensively. When he's healthy (that's another thing), he's one of the best defensive guards in the game. You just have to hope that an improvement in shot quality (taking spot-up jump shots off of Luka and Austin actions is a lot different than spotting up off of Paolo and Franz) stabilizes his shooting a bit.

 

Suggs has been horrible in the playoffs, in both of his appearances. His playoffs avg are

14 career playoffs games. 35% from the field and 26% from 3. He sucks on offense, similar to Vanderbilt.

His entire claim to fame, is 1 decent season in his 5 year career. 23-24 when he shot 47% from the field and 40% from 3, and made 2nd team All Defense.

That's great...but then he promptly laid an egg in the playoffs that season. With 40% from the floor and 30% from 3.

This seems to be who he actually is, and that 23-24 regular season is the outlier. I don't want any parts of this particular dude.

 

We have to address the skill sets that help Luka. Having a guy like Suggs, even though he is a clear upgrade for Vando, does not help our bottom line needs. Too much money spent on a guy who is ultimately flawed for our system.

 

Suggs also essentially has double the volume of Jones Jr. Volume is something that gets severely understated on this board. I'm not saying Suggs is the be all end all. He's not my favorite option, but you have to keep options open. The trades we make require the other team actually willing to make the trade, and same concept with the free agent signings. Need to make a big board, and not be too rigid on specific players- good or bad.

 

Robert Williams
AD
Lebron
Smart
Luka
Rui
Kennard
Thybulle
backup PG like Cj McColum or Coby White

If healthy that's a title-winning roster, that fits a lot better with Luka. Would take that over any other lineup thrown around lately (I understand being healthy is a big IF)

the Reaves squad doesn't need to get mad, I know it's not going to happen.

 

I don't love it, but I could talk myself into it. Would have to get that stretch 5 big though. Maybe draft Vaassaar with #25 and/or trade for Turner. Not sure what trade would look like. Vando + Ayton + LaRavia + Knecht + 2031 1st + 2033 2nd for AD? AD/Hayes/Thiero/maybe another big would be the lob-threats. Vassaar is a lob-threat himself. I guess we kind of bail them out with some draft capital, and absorb AD with a lot of out cap room. Would probably need multiple stretch 5's, since AD doesn't want to play the 5. Again, not a fan.

 

If AD was healthy, we probably never would have traded him for Luka. He is NOT ever going to remain healthy for an entire season. Especially at this point in his career. I would ONLY bring him back if he was playing a backup role and we didn't need him much during the regular season. And then, nowhere near his current salary.

 

Paola and Franz are both good creators I don't think his shooting numbers is a shot quality issue at all

yeah this is my concern - regular season and playoffs are a different beast. Suggs is like an exact inverse of AR
playoff teams have time to prep the defense to really turn the screws on Suggs lack of shooting and conversely they have time to set their offenses to go after AR's man to man struggles.

That's a lot of money for 2 guys who teams are actively trying to exploit. You want guys who teams are trying to figure out not actively looking to attack

 

Well...AD has his regular season issues, but he seems to always be available, and ready to go by the playoffs;unlike Luka recently.

 

Well it depends if the Bucks want to go the full OKC route and that was, stack as many first round picks as possible. They could get 8 from trading Ware, Wiggins, Herro and Giannis. Trade Turner for another. They’d be on their way to 10 picks blowing the team up. Start taking on players to rent cap space. Take on disgruntled stars for a season to rehab their value.

Or they can keep players like Wiggins and Ware instead. It’s up to them. If 3 picks doesn’t entice them, then all good.

 

At 6m, what’s the risk? He doesn’t develop anymore and you have a regular season minutes eater.

Let’s start here, he was decent for the first half of the season. He always puts in effort and defensively he is good and when his shot was dropping he was a great role player.

All it would take for him to be a 7th or 8th man is a consistent 3 pt shot. To be a 5th starter he’d need an 40% shot and a situation where he fit. I don’t think that’s impossible, maybe not likely but his shot isn’t a total mess.

Anyway, I’m perfectly happy trading him too. But 6m for a deep rotation guy is fine. Better than have the corpse of someone or some G league guy who can’t sniff the court.

 

Meet my friend, Spencer Jones:







Spencer has two traits that are just really beneficial. He has high IQ and he has relentless effort. Defensively it’s the same mold as Caruso. If you’re faster, he’ll play you with anticipation and look to trap you where you can’t use speed, if you’re stronger, he’ll just bang with you regardless and be a pest.

Honestly get me all 3 of Spencer Jones, Thybulle and Ellis. One by a trade (Knecht and a 2nd for Ellis) and the other two split the MLE on. You’ve just added three 3&D guys to the roster that can guard.

Luka / Ellis / Bronny
Reaves / Smart
Spencer / Thybulle / Jake
Lebron / Rui / Adou
x / Hayes / Kleber

You’ve got Ellis that can guard 1-2, Smart 1-3, Spencer and Thybulle 1-4, Jake 2-4, Adou 2-4. Compared to this year where we only had Smart and Jake doing the dirty work.

 

The problem is...we haven't lost a playoff series, because of our perimeter defence.

Which is why the reputed objective, is for a secondary playmaker and a starting center. What we have, is a problem scoring, and getting owned on the boards.

I don't think these defensive guards scenarios solve anything TBH. I'd rather have a long 3-4 and 4-5 over a small guard. This POA stuff is being overrated IMO.

 

There’s many ways to skin a cat. I tend to believe with Luka back, we won’t have an issue putting points up on the board, in fact with high level 3 pt shooting - I think we’ll be a top 10 offense pretty smoothly.

What a good POA defender does is just slot Luka and Reaves properly on the defensive side. My suggestions aren’t for small people either but wings.

Spencer Jones is 6’7 and 230 and Thybulle is 6’5 and 210. Both are effort and hustle guys like Smart and Josh Hart and would transform our team.

As for the center, I (and practically everyone else on this board) are all for getting a good center but who? At the moment Claxton is available. Maybe you could go and get Rudy Gobert if the wolves blow it up. Ware could be an outside chance if Miami trade for Giannis. Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams are good rim protectors as 20 min guys, but you’ll have to overpay for them.

So who?

 

Draft one, or make a trade. I don't think skill level, is at play with the 5 stuff, it's style of play. Luka seems to prefer a better Hayes type. I think that's doable.

Again we didn't lose to Minnesota because of a POA, we got out muscled on the frontcourt, and couldn't make open shots from the perimeter ourselves. It's a similar thing with losing to Denver twice. IMO.. you can only hope to contain these high end Western Conference guards. You have to be able to score to keep pace sometimes.

Austin has struggled to score consistently at 2 since his first playoffs run, back when he was the 3rd option, really 3A with Tinkerbell.

To just automatically assume, that he's going to elevate to that level, isn't a sure bet IMO. Luka is great, but he kind of fades some by the 4th quarter, and If I'm not mistaken, Kyrie was hyped as leading the League in 4th quarter scoring, during the Mavs Finals run.

Facing...Ant, SGA, Murray etc..none of these guys that you mentioned ,are going to do anything with them. I would rather bring in a guard, or SF, that can get buckets over a defensive specialist.

I like Josh, but why would the Knicks trade him to us? If they are trading someone, for whatever reason, then I'd rather have OG.


This Spencer kid isn't a terrible idea, he hasn't really played much, but I guess he's an athletic upgrade over Jake. Thiero should get a lot more playing time next season. We still have a draft pick, and there are several prospects with size I like. From Quaintance, Cennac jr, to Swain or Veesaar.

Frankly I'm not all that convinced that hiding Austin and Luka on defense, should really be priority number 1. Get longer, more athletic, with some scoring and rebounding..that's the ticket IMO.

 

They need another guard only because they need another reliable ball handler with the defenses they face in the WC.Someone like Grimes would be my guess

 

this is just insane - he couldn't dribble, seemed to forget where he was on in the court at times, and couldn't even be trusted to do a swing pass. His jumper also is not like someone like Max Christie's where it looked pure but just didn't seem to go in as often you'd like. It's a heave type of shot and if you watch the pre-season shooting videos' there was no indication that this guy was going to turn into some machine from the outside.

It's not just about money, it's about oppurtunity costs - Lakers have already fall down the rabbit hole of having to give guys enough minutes and that likely was a reason like Godwin was let go (who was way more promising then Jake)