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

I’d be interested to know what Duren’s stats looked like vs Western Conference opponents.

 

Rui (18 million) + Ayton + 2031 1st for Duren would would work well for both teams. They desperately need shooting and Ayton could be pretty effective on that team and playing in the east.

 

Maybe we make a trade tonight or tomorrow, but I feel like part of the reason we havent made a trade yet is because it might be a sign and trade involving either side.

 

The assumption is to get Duren, you're going to have to max him at 41m.

Our team then looks like salary wise:

Luka (49.5) / x / Bronny (2.3)
Reaves (20.9 -> 41) / Carr (3.3) / Knecht (4.2)
x / Jake (6)
x / Adou (2.1) / Vando (12.4)
Duren (41) / Ayton (8.1) / x

That leaves you 15m-ish under the cap to spend. Let's say you bring back Lebron for 15.2 and give Smart the room to start. It's a decent team, lacking some depth and relying on the young guys.

But the following season when Lebron leaves, you have about 180m in salary with 9 people.

Luka (53.5) / Bronny (2.5)
Reaves (44.3) / Carr (4.5)
Smart (9.8) / Adou (2.5)
x / Vando (13.3)
Duren (43) / Hayes (6.5)

So the only way to meaningful improve is the MLE (15.8m) (probably for a starting PF) and BAE (5.7m) to get your 10th and 11th guys and everyone else is vet minimums with a total team salary of 210m.

I think it's been spoken about at length that having 3 max guys doesn't really work anymore, our bench would be heavily relying on one of either Bronny or Vando depending on who we got for the BAE. Fairly sure that team isn't a contender.

EDIT: We could also bring Jake back too.

 

Mavs also chasing Kawhi

 

Zaire an option

 

yep that’s what I was saying Zaire.

 

It makes sense. I mean, we would be at closer to the max for Kessler anyway. But I think it still needs to be a sign-and-trade. We can't affford to be messing with offer sheets.

How is he at screen navingation? Does he get beat up on screens because he is skinny? Can he play point of attack or is he more of a wing defender, like Carr? He is listed as 6-9 185, so he's skinnier than Carr.

 

So, I guess AlienCommish has already informed any GM who’s willing to trade for RoboticCornrows that they don’t need to fear any blowback coming Kawhi’s way.
Right.
Just like many here suspected, this dirt bag is just going to get away with it.
SMH.

 

I think at this point it’s Duran or bust for the Lakers. The Pistons don’t want to pay that salary for Duran. I think the Pistons can go to their fan base and say hey we got a shooter in Hachimura we got a big in Ayton. And we tried.

I love Zaire Williams for the Lakers. I think Rob’s goal this free agent cycle has been to get younger and more athletic and more explosive.

so basically if Rob’s going out he’s going out emptying the clip.

and he wants the big fish.

I think Luka let us know when he said A-List Center. There’s only one A-List Center on the market who the Lakers could obtain Duran.

All NBA 3rd team.

the 3rd team max money he was tied to has scared the Pistons. As I stated in prior posts they still have to pay Assur Thompson.


It’s not Kessler. Lukas been tampering with Duran.

Lebron will come back at a reduced rate to win. But the reason we haven’t given him an offer is because the Center were seeking is Duran. We’re negotiating with Duran.

so all the money is on hold. We did Austin and now Duran. This is all Luka. It’s his team.

The Reason why the Pistons tried to f*** us on Reaves to get the price up on Reaves is because they knew we were flirting with Duran making them pay a higher price that they aren’t paying.

 

yes either Kessler or Duren I think are the best possible outcome. We can then audition them for a season, and make a decision at the end of next season (when we get the full cap hit from the Reaves extension) if its worth keeping 3 guys at the max, or maybe move one of Kessler or Reaves.

 

Luka
Reaves
Smart
Lebron
Duran


Thiero Kennard LaRavia James Carr Williams Hayes

 

i've been saying i think this is plan A.

 

that bench is brutal lol, we probably need at least one bench guy that can go off for 20-25 occasionally.

I heard DeRozan might be bought out?

 

If we trade Rui and Ayton for Duren, it would be interesting to see what we do with the remaining 14.5 million in cap room. We would need a starting point-of-attack defender/shooter and a starting power forward at that point. It seems like Lebron would suck up that entire 14.5 million and Smart would get the room-exception. That actually wouldn't be too bad becasue we at least fill out a good starting 5, with Carr, Hayes, and Thiero off the bench. But it wou;d be better if Detroit also takes LaRavia and/or Knecht, but beggers cant be chooserd. Hopefully we would only have to give up one first, so we could use to maybe unload Vando. I would like to get an additional point of attack defender/shooter, like Grimes.

 

Well, we have Carr, who could be the thied guard, Thoero as backup pf, and Hayes as backup center. Should be able to get some decent vet minimums to play with Luka.

 

I don’t think it’s Kessler because of Ainge.
He will over pay as much as he needs just so his player isn’t stolen by the Lakers.

 

I don’t think that’s true. Remember that all summer in 2022 and up until the 2023 trade deadline we heard it would take one first just to take on Russ’ expiring contract and then another to get any useful players, but then it ended up being Ainge who took the Russ contract while sending back Beasley and Vando. He’s not going to pay Kessler $40 million out of spite if he thinks it hurts his basketball team. He’s not irrational.

 

It's looking like a 3 max contract model, but..

• Reaves and Duren are 25% max
• Reaves might end up getting moved for role-players later, unless it acttually works