2026-27 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I like the risk.

 

Bucks now prioritizing a win now player

 

It just feels like ANY news or any plans are on hold or in a circle pattern till Giannis's situation gets solved. Which, I mean....hopefully will be ANY MINUTE or Day now, because the Draft is tomorrow or Wednesday?

 

feel like this almost never works out in today's nba. stevens is the only exception. donovan was decent in okc

 

i wonder if this will change over time with NIL creating basically a minor league system complete with free agency and star players making more money than the coach, etc. but yeah, historically, both the games and the organizational structure/system were so different that it was hard to make that jump. pro going back to college was easier.

 

Interesting. They probably will take Mara or Yaxel at #9 now. Maybe increases our chances of a Gafford or Lively trade.

 

he's a complimentary player with a contract they don't want to keep

I wouldn't take it as a big slight, but more as a rebuild approach. Makes the package they get back have to get bigger.

 

kuz's conception of his defense is very different than, say, everyone else's ever.

i wonder if they're going to move down by trading the 9 for okc's 12 and 17 whilst using a TE (they have a big one) to eat salary (isaiah joe)--they actually have a big enough TE to take joe and kenrich williams (or just dort by himself), which gets okc very close to out of financial trouble whilst getting to move up a few spots in the draft.

dallas and okc have worked together on similar deals before (that time dallas moved down from 9 to 12 to pick up lively and okc ate bertans's salary).

anyway, lendeborg, morez johnson, or mara all make more sense closer to 12 than 9.

 

Yeah, they could get two of those guys.

 

Not disputing this is "possible", but unlike Russell Wesbrook the odds are astronomically in Luka's favor that HE has more legitimate self awareness than Russ. And that HE was THE Big reason the team did not get a chance to actually compete against OKC and maybe San Antonio and NY. Odds against SURE. But with our Big 3 healthy, JDub out, Fox injured and the Spurs inexperience plus how we've played well against the Knicks ..... the Puncher's Chance or even more was there THIS year. That was painfully evident to him sitting on the bench unable to play, while LeBron was in peak playoff condition amazingly and AR was out there not 100% coming back early from his injury.

Just saying.

 

I already acknowledged Luka was great right off the bat.

The problem is, now you're pretending he can't improve in the other parts of his game.

Does he need to take EVERY shot? Does he need to handle every possession? Can he improve his defense? Can he be a better leader? We don't need to see him bickering with the refs on a live ball.

So we're going on what? 7 years of Luka's prime and what will be there to show for it? 0 MVP's and a lone Finals appearance.

Again, since Brunson and Luka departed, Brunson has had a better playoffs career. Many of Luka's peers have also done better.

At what point do we put the onus on Luka to make some changes to his game for the betterment of the team?

The Giannis one is spot-on because someone said Giannis had a better team. Yes, because Giannis WAS the team for the most part when Milwaukee was rebuilding. So trying to pick on Giannis when he uplifted that team as if that doesn't matter is a pretty dumb argument.

All I'm saying is Luka isn't a young buck anymore. Again, he's nearing 30. What will your interpretation of Luka be if after two more years, he's got zero rings, zero MVP's? It's a failure and time to look to trade him.

 

Yeah that Dallas-OKC deal has been mentioned a lot, makes a lot of sense for both teams.
Hope we get Giannis news soon so everything else can start to open, I'm still hoping we trade our pick

 

Seriously hoping the C Bags don't get Giannis, they'd be a big problem.

 

It really shortens their window. Brown is like 6 years younger or something.
Giannis is a poison pill, I think his game will really age badly.
I also think Boston will lack of assets to build a good team around Tatum and Giannis, but they probably make a couple Finals appearance and who knows what can happen.
It's not crazy to go all in in a short window in the East with the lack of a clear contender there. It might work

I don't fear them though. If we get to the Finals after beating so many good teams in the West, we should be good to beat them

 

I don't think it really changes their window. Giannis is only 2 years older than Brown and gives them a downhill, around the basket element they desperately need. It also may be the case that post-Achilles Tatum is more of a great #2 on a championship team than the #1/#1a he was pre-Achilles.

 

Eh I don’t think it shortens their window one bit I mean they are just improving. Let’s not sugar coat it this would an incredible trade for them if they pull it off for basically just Brown.

 

Would love to get Kuzma. We need a big lanky 3-D forward. Been calling for that. He was a key to our championship run.

there’s not really a Luka debate. The guy can play. Does what you want on a court. He’s a winner.

guys need to seriously look at his durability. And see what this is. Reddick essentially cost us a championship. As pointed out by the limitations of other teams. If we played the Knicks it probably goes 7.

The problem with Luka is the durability. The soft tissue injuries concern me. He had a hamstring during the season. He played the all star game. And then it flared up again.

I don’t care about the bigs and lob threats. Everybody talking about the lob threat. And Ayton. But Luka had his best season statistically with no lob threat. And finished 4th in the MVP voting and was all NBA and led the NBA scoring. So what was the problem? He had one of the best stretches of his career and we were balling. Why would you want to mess that up? Wouldn’t you want to bring Ayton back????

the appealing part was Aytons presence with Lebron And Reaves and Rui at stretches made teams have to pay attention to them. So the same lob threat duties were happening with Luka and he was pulling people on the string watch the tape.


See the issue isn’t Ayton Hayes Reaves. The issue is the Lakers head of training. Strength and conditioning. Lukas management.


If you wanna take it there. No off season training with Slovania. No 39 minutes a game. No games against the Grizzlies and Hornets.

it has to be hard core. My number 1 goal is the Lakers winning a championship. If it means no back to backs for Luka so be it. So no back to backs for Luka.

The Lakers have to have an advanced approach to the way they handle their superstars. The Clippers do it. The Spurs do it. I know Wemby was gassed but he was on the court.

Minnesota did the same thing with Edwards big minutes. Towards the end of the season he misses two weeks with a knee injury. Guess what happens?? He hyper extends his knee against Denver.

I’m embracing load management on the Lakers. The games Luka doesn’t play let Austin run the team and vice versa. Rotate with Lebron. The best news I heard of the off season was the bio chamber.

what we really need to be talking about is how is Luka making sure he stays on the court and takes care of his body.

his fitness he needs to be available. Kobe Jordan Iverson Miller even Magic before the HIV Shai they stayed on the court.

I dont want Luka going down the Grant Hill career trajectory with his ankle and injuries. Or Penny Hardaway. That’s my concern.

Luka needs to find a program to play and stay on the court for the Lakers. More important for the Lakers than the lob threat is making sure they have enough depth to make that happen.

 

Pels look open to do business so we shall see if they actually deal this summer