2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Who is going to be beating down doors, trying to sign Capela or Lopez, for more than 5.7M? We are one of the few teams without decent bigs, who is supposed to be our competition?

 

Yeah he downplayed it on X that it was during a timeout and he was "multi-tasking". But this video shows it was during action. Dude just lives to do his disgusting schtick.

 

I really appreciate the optimism. Unless Lebron takes less money, or we trim some payroll, we could get outbid financially. And even at the 5.7M various teams could still make a good case for them. I really do hope you are right though, because the other tier players for TPMLE are gross. But with that said, we shouldn't assume that a big will just take our 5.7M, and what about the back up big spot, vet minimum? Being proactive, and trading for at least one big prior is the way to go, imo. Even if you sign a big, and then turn around trade trade for another one, that's a little shady.

 

If Giannis is staying in Milwaukee Lopez might be staying there too.

 

yeah, i've never taken either as a given. it's why i've said if we could get capela at tpmle, take it and run.

still just not as interested as you are in getting into the draft. we can't expend assets for guys who may or may not help two years from now. try the udfa market for that.

kornet will cost over tpmle, imo. if not, we need to sign him to it asap.

plumlee is a vet min guy--but one who'd be high on my list.

don't think dallas lets exum walk at that price unless they make a trade for a guard. they seem to like him. but i agree he's a great fit. huge health risk, though.

 

We probably aren’t landing Capela or Lopez for 5.7M with it being a backup spot unfortunately. Pretty unlikely but just my opinion.

 

Like I said, Please name these teams, that present a better opportunity for a FA big, than the Lakers. Be specific, let's peruse your list.

 

LOL. I don't know, there is always some team that comes out of the woodwork. I'll have to check the rosters.

 

We could make a strong case to Lopez or Capela if we hold off on a trade until the first day of free-agency. But there would likely be an under the table promise included in the offer. So, at that point, we wouldn't be able to turn around trade for a Claxton or Allen. It would be a bad look. And we are talking about only two guys who would be decent, but don't even meet our full criteria for the type of big we need. Unless one of these guys is mature and says they would still be willing to sign, and be a backup if needed. I could see Lopez doing this. He is from SoCal and loves Disney. Orlando has too many centers (Disneyworld), but Miami could be an option though. With that said, I think we could have a real shot at Brook, and that is probably why we have been hearing his name mentioned, even though he is not the ideal fit. Maybe we do something like this:

1. DRAFT NIGHT: Secure a young big man. Potential trade: 2031 1st (unprotected) to OKC for #15 and #24. This is exactly the kind of ballsy and sophisticated forward-thinking trade Presti likes to make. We should be able to secure at worst a very-good third string big with #15, and then add some speed +athleticism + shooting with #24.

2. FREE AGENCY: Hopefully sign a Brook Lopez.

3. Look into trading for a big using assets. You no longer have 2031 1st, but you have Rui, DK, expiring's, and the young players you just drafted.

Worse scenario, we have a solid old-young center two-man center rotation. Worse scenario, we trade for a middling big just for insurance.

 

But, like a Claxton backed up by a Lopez would be ideal. Then, you have a third-string big waiting in the wings (Lopez is 37-years old). Might even be able to finally actually go big (at times) at this point, given Claxton's mobility on defense, and Lopez being a legit, high-volume, high-percentage three-point shooter.

 

1. Make the deal with OKC.
2. Sign Lopez
3. Trade Kleiber + Vincent + Knecht + #24 + 2030 swap + 2028 swap for Claxton.

 

Looks like Durant to Houston.

 

Koloko is our 3rd string big.

 

I would sign Capela.

The others probably would go after. Deandre Ayton and just get a deal centered around him. Paul Reed maybe.

Damn Adams got a lot of bank.

Capela could easily pull down 44 million.

and that means Lopez could get 50 million.
Lopez 2 yrs. 50 million.

you just have to look at what the market is giving you and dictating to you. And Centers are still a hot commodity.

that’s why it made all the sense for the Lakers to trade for Mark Williams because we didn’t know what the market would dictate. Now teams will be lowballing the Lakers trying to get everything from them.

 

I think Lopez is going back to Milwaukee. Milwaukee is going to try to keep everybody around Gianiss.

 

I feel like with all the media hype of Claxton BKN will try to gouge us in any deal. Plus Rob usually pulls moves nobody is really talking about. I remember reading that we asked about Okongwu at the trade deadline. Maybe Atlanta is ready for a shakeup and start a new core with Jalen Johnson, Risacher, Daniels and Trae and whoever they take in the draft at #14. They could get Sorber or maybe Queen or even Malauch slides to the late lottery.

That’s a pretty exciting team to me and they can try the Pacers model. Hire a championship coach like Malone. In the east anything can happen if you get hot at the right time.

Okongwu makes 14mil and Kleber/ Milton just about get you there. Maybe throw in a first round swap and a couple of 2nd rounders.

That way we get our center and keep Knecht.

Then I’d trade Gabe or Vando (though I want to keep Vando) to the Cavs for Okoro and sign Tre Jones or Melton with the Tpmle. With some injury luck that’s a contender to me. I’m more for continuity than another big shakeup.

 

my strongest candidates would be their own teams, tbh. why lose an asset for nothing? now, atlanta has kind of signaled they want to move on, but if capela's looking at nothing but tpmles, wouldn't a two-year deal at a larger amount with the idea he'd be traded later make more sense for both parties? the wizards signed valanciunas to a deal like that last year, and traded him for an expiring and two seconds. so both parties won. and that was a different team. atlanta is WAY under the tax as of now, too, so it makes even more sense to potentially preserve him even as trade ballast.

i also am just not as sure as most that he's actually the answer for us. he may not be as big an upgrade on hayes as his salary indicates (one could argue the two were nearly indistinguishable statistically last year, with hayes actually being better!). he has higher hoop iq, but is largely as much of a minus on offense as hayes is. i think mike garcia said yesterday that claxton is more like vando than people realize, and i agree. love vando, but you can't have two (and at times, you can't have one).

as to the rest of your idea, i'm with the jsm that the other guy we asked about (duren) may be the surprise target. with stewart under contract at a pretty low number through 2028, det showing interest in other centers, duren being up for a substantial payday next year, maybe there's a way to sneak in and get him (can his agent help us here?).

i'd be inclined to up the offer we gave for mark williams to get duren.

 

I hope he does and saves Rob from himself.

 

eh, if we got him it would be a low-cost investment and not a huge deal if it didn't work. one could argue that getting a center cheap might do more save us from ourselves in the trade market, where teams will be trying to gouge us.