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

Well they haven't had any success of being a real contender. They are usually somewhere in the middle. I don't find that this team ran like a well oiled machine and relied on the talent they had. To much jocking and players not liking roles. Lebron, Austin, Rui, Van, Ayton to be specific. I feel they had a solid month of unrealistic basketball with Luka playing out this world.

 

(1) Make the draft day trade: Vanderbilt + Knecht + #25 + 2033 2nd for Herb Jones + Missi
(2) Bring back Lebron, Rui, Reaves, Hayes with bird-rights
(3) Bring back Kennard with non-bird-rights
(4) Bring back Smart with 9-million of the MLE
(5) Sign Richards with 6-million of the MLE

SCORING MACHINE: Luka (36) Reaves (12)
SHOOTER: Reaves (23) Rui (15) Kennard (10)
POA DEFENDER / SHOOTER: Jones (28) Smart (20)
BIG-WING / SHOOTER: Lebron (33) Rui (15)
LOB-THREAT/ RIM-PROTECTOR: Missi (18) Richards (18) Hayes (12)

That's a pretty deep squad.

• Lob-threat in there at all times
• Elite POA defender in there at all times
• Multiple shooters in there at all times
• 6MOY candidate off the bench, in Rui
• Additional shooting off the bench, in Kennard
• Extended depth from roster spots 11-14 in Thiero, Ayton, LaRavia, and Bronny

 

Are you related to @Khmrp and separated at birth? Everything is glass half empty for you because Luka and AR are supremely talented offensive players (and competitive defenders when slotted properly) but are not also 2nd team or better all defense players. Do you realize how freaking hard it will be to replace that top shelf multi-skilled offensive talent if EITHER of them you keep whining about are not here?

The bold above. You give zero credit considering how many players were injured and in and out of the lineup first third of the season with the HUGE absence of LeBron, and Luka and AR were cooking together in spite of it all plus great play from our centers and decent support from the healthy role players, and were winning at a 70% clip. And that month or more run after the break was with FINALLY all of our Big 3 available and LeBron finally back in game shape and playing down lower to make the 3 headed monster work better. It was awesome! There's not a better top 3 in the league very arguably, and when healthy no one can contain LeBron playmaking and scoring down low and rim running, when Luka and AR are cooking. Throw in the game and culture changing Caruso like effect that Smart was giving us .... and that's the team that didn't get to face OKC, yet we were still in every game while getting swept (just not deep enough), without MVP performing Luka as he was for most of the season. With 3 way less than optimal role players needed on the roster to better match their depth.

 

I hear you but again o can say add Sabonis, Trea Young, etc and people will argue the same reasons they defend Austin. Again if Lakers were a serious contender I won't have any argument. Thing is we are moving into the 4th season were the past 3 season ended with Lakers being dominated only to argue if they were healthy. In fact this has been the case since 2020 And when healthy the defensive concerns are real. All of what you said are all real in a non physical environment. That is why I argue we have no clue how this team healthy performs. The reality Lebron think they are not a true contender. Why, he played on the level and knows what happens in the regular season is just a small sample size when the games get faster and more physical. So again I am not saying they can't win they just have not shown it and most people are moving on hope vs reality. If Lakers don't win again next season no one will remember the concerns and just chalk it up to health. The pattern is there but people ignore it. Lakers have been a bad defensive team for a long time lacking energy and hustle. The only time they won is when they had a talented big and defense on the wing. And if you look at the teams who have won and who is still in it all have something in common.

 

You act like you're thinking about all our problems on your own and the professionals with the new ownership and Pelinka and FO people know none of this. What is it you want out of all your concerns and worries and repetition about all of it?! Mainly fixated on AR like bringing him back at his fair value is doom. We are lucky to have him as talented as he is. Trades in the future are still a possibility if the FO feels they need to move him. The back and forths with you are extremely frustrating. This stuff and anxiety ALWAYS builds up right before we get our answers. The draft. Free Agency. Trades. Trade deadline. Give it a rest. No one can tell you what you want to hear it seems.



Additionally with all your griping about our real and past health issues with many players is no different than other teams go through as well, some with luck and others not any one season. No players come with health guarantees in this kind of fast physical sport. You want that too?????

 

if reaves played for a different team, and we had no second offensive option, we'd be trying to trade everything not nailed down for him.

and once again, equating reaves and trae young defensively is just pretty much willful ignorance.

saying we need athletic wings isn't a revelation. but if you trade reaves for them, you'll need a reaves. it's easier to unearth and develop athletic wings than it is to unearth and develop all-star caliber offensive engines. it's why they salaries go that way and why reaves has a max offer from another team already lined up.

we need to turn all non-luka/reaves players into two-way guys who can finish and slot into proper roles.

if that doesn't work, you move to trade reaves and hope you can turn an anfernee simons type into luka's offensive running mate. but that's much less likely to bear fruit, imo.

 

Within the next hour or two or much much sooner Idawg will be back and say all the same things over again. And again. And again. Dude is a downer, what is the ******* point just worrying non stop, and longing unrealistically for guarantees NO team gets as far as health. Look how many stars and superstars have gotten injured the past 4 years.

 

I dont think we are lucky to have him. Lakers have not won with Austin.

 

I am not a downer lol. Just keeping it real. I will stop but just remember i told you so. Its like telling a kid in love about school sweet hart. They think its the love of their life going to get marry and live happily ever after. You dont want to tell them the odds of that happening is low. Once you live it and saw it its hard to un see it. Instead you just let them live it and experience it even if you already have a good idea of the end results.

 

Rui Hachimura's Lakers future is murky for one reason that cannot be ignored

 

congrats to Josh Hart for championship
Now please find a way to bring him back lol

 

I'm right there with you.

I see people talking about losing LeBron's salary slot in a year if we resign him, but they're happy to just let Rui, Kennard and Lebron just walk this offseason.

For me, I still believe we should lock in our key bench pieces of Smart, Kennard & Rui. Bring back Luka, Lebron and Reaves. That's 6 rotation pieces that can get time in the playoffs - we need 2-3 more.

We need to improve with a starting 3&D wing and big via trades and/or MLE and then a backup wing.

Luka / Luke
Reaves / Smart
SF / Backup
Lebron / Rui
C / Hayes

For the C, I could see:

Claxton
Missi
Nurkic
Ware
Portis

For the backup SF:

Adou
Champagnie
Spencer Jones
Thybulle
Okogie

For the starting SF:

Wiggins
Herb
Coulibaly

I'm probably trying to trade for Missi & Herb or trade for Claxton and signing Thybulle.

 

It's not over yet haha? 10 seconds to go...

 

wow it took NY 53 years to win another title.