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

There are many teams eyeing next offseason and clearing cap space, hoping to get a big fish. That usually means some teams are missing out and overpaying some guy. AR seems to prefer to compete, but he may be eyeing a near-max deal that can fall in his lap and I don't blame him

 

A max contract for AR would be roughly 50m. If he is a 20/6/6 on 47%+/37%+/85%+ - is anyone enticed by that? I can seen one of the smaller markets offering the max.

I thought Orlando should have gone after him before Bane, they need someone to sail the ship there and Reaves is the better player. I would have considered a trade for Suggs & Goga in exchange for Reaves, Vando, Kleber & Shake (they cut Shake straight away so it's effectively a 3 for 2).

I'd then look at packaging Rui + first for Herb Jones & salary filler.

Luka / Gabe
Suggs / Goodwin
Herb / Knecht
Lebron / DFS
Goga / TPMLE

You'd have two incredible perimeter defenders alongside Goga. If Herb and Suggs found their shot, we'd be hard to beat. Anyway, this is all a pipe dream.

 

Wow, he signed a pretty friendly contract there to stay as a backup - first year starts at 21m. I wonder if they can lock up Randle at 30m per now as well with the first year at 25m. That would get them closer to the 1st Apron. Do they offer NAW a contract now, pay huge tax and bank on Conley retiring after this season?

DDV / NAW
Antman / NAW
McDaniels
Randle / Naz
Gobert / Naz

It's a formidable roster. Surprised KD didn't want to join them, I guess he doesn't want the cold.

I'd like to get NAW if we can.

 

lol, yeah, relationships have been both great (luka, klutch) and terrible for us (portland and indiana).

i think he was the one who liked dlo here, too. it was clearly lebron who hated him, imo.

i think reaves will sign for 30 per and slot properly as a third guy. it's part of why i'm way of parting with assets for guys not better than reaves. keep those firsts and expirings for the next siakam type guy on the move. don't spend them on a mediocre center.

 

For what it's worth Buha has been steadfast in saying he's getting $30m(+). As in that's the temp when he's asked around and not just what his heart tells him.

 

He’s always injured but he’s been a pretty good role player for them

 

On LG

tox wrote:
can he play tough nosed defense

Jstock12 replied
Yes, defense has been his best attribute in college. We'll see how that translates to the NBA. TJ McConnell is honestly the perfect comparison for Marciulionis' ceiling.

Has good legs and some more "sneaky athleticism"



Someone else replied he won't be available for Summer League .... s***!!

 

Plus, we have to save assets to S&T for Jokic when he forces his way here in 2 years!

 

lol AR is getting more than 30 million. Someone will offer that so is he worth it?

 

Stein Stuff, mostly just reiterates what he's already heard and mentioned FA wise

 

If it was Boston that trade would’ve been done. And they woulda just took Vando straight up and gave us cash. lol.

 

Bring Massai Uraji to this organization. Make it happen. This guy develops talent. This guy is great in play development. Make it happen.

 

Was just thinking, are Pacers one of the unluckiest but most competent run organisations in the 2000s?

- Malice in the Palace destroys the last great Reggie team that should have competed for a ring
- The team takes a few years to bottom out after the riot and as they start coming out of it, their new star Danny Granger falls apart
- They then draft Hibbert, PG, Lance but run into the the Lebron, Wade, Bosh Heat
- PG breaks his leg as he is about to enter his prime
- As a result, Indiana blows it up, trades PG and put together a unit of Brogdon, Oladipo, TJ Warren, Sabonis and Myles Turner
- Each of Brogdon, TJ Warren and Oladipo fall apart with the latter ascending into an All Star just before he has a catastrophic injury
- As a result, they trade Sabonis for Haliburton and rebuild. They end up making the finals where Haliburton tears his achilles in the first quarter of game 7 that's balanced on a knives edge

Really remarkable run of poor luck

 

And they did all that without spending a dollar since 2012 in luxury tax. They would have been the first team since then to win a title without paying a single cent in luxury tax.

 

Keep that bum away from LA. He stinks.

 

So what moves are we thinking?

I like Ayton if he can be had for cheap. Drafted over Luka so there's some history there for friendly competition to light a fire in him. Portland seems to be wanting to move away from him. Don't think they're getting a 1st round pick for him. Maybe they'll want Knecht? The amount of open looks he'd get with Luka+Bron, he can easily be a 20/10 guy on good efficiency. Just need him to play some solid defense.

If not, realistically, Brook Lopez might be the best bet for solid value.

100% they should move Gabe, Maxi, and Vanderbilt. $40 million of salary cap and I'm not entirely sure what value they will provide. Vanderbilt is god awful offensively and Gabe was hit-or-miss many games. Neither were spectacular on defense.

I think Rui or Knecht may have to be included in a trade.

100% keep Goodwin.

Don't even know why people mention trading Reaves. Lakers don't need another ball dominant ballhandler and most of the players better than Reaves are near max contracts so unless they can pull Giannis, Jokic, or Embiid, I'm in favor of keeping Reaves.

Would love to keep DFS at around $13 million. Maybe 3 years $40 million would be great.

So that leaves: LeBron, Luka, Reaves, Bronny, DFS, Knecht, and Goodwin as the players I would 100% say retain.

Who are some good 3/D or versatile wings?

Also, since there are new owners and the consensus is that they are willing to spend $, how would that be applicable for this season besides extensions? Doesn't seem like it will come into play this season much. Also interesting that the Lakers currently would have no one under contract if they traded Vanderbilt/Milton for the 26/27 season besides Knecht and Bronny. Seems like that's the season we will truly know just how much money will be spent.

 

that 2019 raptors team was stacked, but they only won it all because he lucked into kawhi and KD/klay got hurt in the finals

they won 50 games the next season but since then, they've been pretty terrible and he gave out some pretty bad contracts to guys like barrett and quickley

 

Masai did develop OG

Pascal Barnes. There’s a track record there.

 

As for Lakers

Ayton Lopez Capela.

would not be surprised if Embiid is kicked around. Philly would be ecstatic to move Embiid.