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

the paycut thing rubs people the wrong way, which is completely understandable. people are frustrated as to why lebron couldn't have done that here the past few seasons instead of demanding the max

but when you think about all the reasons why philly/the east coast is where he chose to go, it all makes sense why he'd take less money

 

Him going to Philly and taking the minimum also kills two narratives that I've seen floated here a bunch of times:
- that he wanted more money from the Lakers
- that he didn't want to be a 3rd option

so there's that.

it's obvious the relationship broke down with the FO, and we're probably not going to know exactly what happened until some of these people release their memoirs in 10/20 years.

 

Harden was taking a pay cut for Lebron. He aint. Taking no pay cut for Kaminga.

 

You’re onto something. Key people. Jeanie Buss LeBron should be grateful. Rob Pelinka didn’t pickup player option. No contract offer. Lebron was going to make the Lakers pay for allowing him to be a free agent.

 

PJ’s a better shooter than last year indicates. The year before he shot 38% and he has done that multiple times over his career. He is kind of like LeBron in that his percentages can float around a bit. I imagine it’s because he doesn’t have a super consistent stroke so when he finds a groove he has a good season and if he loses it, it can be a worse one.

What makes PJ useful is his rebounding and defense. He can guard 3-5 and rebounds really well so you can use him to guard the KAT’s, Chet’s etc. He isn’t the athletic finisher Kuminga is but he is decent and a better corner 3 shooter while playing his role really well.

 

the man is 44 ain’t nothing easy about this.

 

And the year before 32% again. The year before that 35%. He shot better in his first 3 years, weirdly. He's also a 45% FG player which is very low for a big wing. Bad FT too at the 70s

But hey, I'm not dissing him. He would be a good get and fits what we need, agree with you said. He's just not the big savior of this offseason that will make us at OKC/Spurs level.
I think that will come from internal growth and hitting the MLE next year. So it might take a year or 2, but would be great to be competitive with them this year already

We lost 8-0 to OKC last year btw

 

he did want more money from the lakers though.....

but i think at the end of the day, the desire for an easier road to the finals and the deteriorated relationship with the FO are the two key reasons why he left

 

We just all need to get together and play some eight ball. How many pool sharks do we have??

 

I was actually surprised at how respectful most were to wish him well. Possibly a top ten player of all time, he might as well finish his career on his own terms. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with being glad he is gone. I hope he does make it to the finals so we can thrash him...lol.

 

Our chance of competing with Spurs and OKC this year was adding 2 pieces on top of last years group and not a rebuild. It’s too tough to add 3 through 10 on your roster in a single offseason and be a contender.

I don’t think we’ll be a contender next year either because adding an MLE is like adding Max Christie or Struss or a backup big. Our road to contention probably involves one or of Carr or Adou breaking out. What PJ does is close up a hole in our starting unit and move us to a second round exit from a first. With an off chance at a conference finals - that’s worth the trade to me.

 

Yall get on Durant for going to the Warriors and winning a championship. Better basketball move to play with Curry over Westbrook and win a championship.

but give LeBron all the props for going to stacked teams. I joke basically the LeBron world tour. Cleveland Miami L.A. Philly.

Happiness is playing basketball with your son. Seeing the wife. Driving with son to practice. Some of yall Dads can attest to that. And I know there’s the well he’s letting his Son be a man and find his own way. But still nothing like playing with your kid and working with him and having wife and daughter in the same unit. It’s a b**** uprooting kids.

These prominent athletes Brady LeBron the ego is the drug the championships chasing. He ain’t going to Philly for the Cheesesteaks.

Philly is a nice team. But on paper this is still a team that got swept by the Knicks.

and when LeBron came here he said how great Lonzo is. Philly to me is everybody’s trendy pick. But now you’re in a division with the Knicks Brunson Towns OG Bridges. They just run teams off the court.

C Bags play the same way with Tatum and Gonzales is no joke. Get familiar. Paul George Prichard White Toronto Quickley Barrett Barnes Kawhi this isn’t a cakewalk. Washington AD Sarr George Johnson Young Debynasta. Teams are going to be licking their chops to play the Sixers. Brown played in a very good system.

People talk about the west we were one of the hottest teams in the league when Luka played. Jeanie got emotional and had to open her mouth about be grateful. I knew that article was horrible. That was bad ownership.


You’re relying on Embiid and those Knees. I don’t think LeBron wants to play at the pace Maxey Edgecomb and Brown want to play at. That’s too much ball to go around.

see Lebron Kessler doesn’t need the ball. Embiid demands it. And if you thought Ayton was bad. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

 

Just my opinion of course but from what I have seen I'm fully expecting Carr and Adou both to break out. Barring something else happening we need what they Adou. They just need court time and patience.

 

Yeah's he's streakier than most acknowledge. When they hear his name, I think a lot of people just remember the 2024 OKC series when he shot like 50% from three.

 

We ain’t trading for PJ Washington because Masai is going to ask for Adou Thiero or Carr and we ain’t giving that up. Those days are over.

 

A year and a bit ago I was saying how screwed Philly were. They had a broken down Embiid, a washed PG, Maxey, McCain, Grimes and Oubre.

Well since then they drafted VJ. Traded PG for Brown. Let McCain, Grimes and Oubre go for LeBron, Dean Wade and Simmons.

They’ve totally turned that franchise around. This isn’t the same team that got swept by the Knicks. They added Brown, Lebron and Dean Wade. They’re going to be a really tough out for anyone and have a really high chance of coming out the East. Even if Embiid doesn’t play.

 

I hope it works out that way. Make for an exciting championship series to match up with LeBron.

 

The Mavs will have to pay to get off PJ’s contract in two years because he will be pushed out of the rotation. Realistically their front court is loaded:

Risacher / Marshall / Martin
Flagg / PJ / Aldama
Johnson Jr / Lively / Cisse / Gafford

Do you really want to be paying PJ 20m per and Gafford 18m to get less than 16 mins a game? I don’t think so. Both of those guys are being traded sooner rather than later.

 

I'll drive Thiero to LAX myself if that's what it takes.

People are forgetting Luka is going to be 28 in 6 months, and we already wasted 2 years of his prime. The time to build a contender is now.

If we don't, chances are he opts out in 2028, or we have to trade him even earlier than that.

hell, if we could get both Gafford and PJ, that would be perfect. A proven front court duo to add to our rising star center.

 

good take. They were gifted Brown. But the Knicks destroyed Dean Wade to. Lebron is going to have to see some tough 4’s you can’t just say go play 4. Brown is a great player.

but Lebron seriously. You can’t be on the perimeter right now at this point of his career. He’s 42.

So Now Bam Gianiss

Barnes Kawhi

Towns OG

Querta Robinson

Sarr Davis

Johnson Owenkweille

Duran Thompson

Siakm Zubac


This doesn’t get easy.

Chicagos got Williams