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

This is because Lakers are unknown at this point. They have an insight on those teams.

 

People's reservations about Austin don't come out of a vacuum. I'm just not convinced about him in the playoffs, and I'm not even talking about the defensive concerns. Taking the last 3 playoff runs into account, his efficiency numbers are horrific because he can't get to the rim at will, and his foul-baiting game isn't nearly as effective.

Also, are you assuming we're going to be okay playing a vet min player at 4? Or that Grimes and Mamu who were backups with not much playoff experience either, will flourish into starting quality guys? That Kessler will be a 20/15 guy?

It's just a lot that has to happen for us even to be as good as last year.

I have more hope in Luka putting up some insane numbers and carrying the rest of the team, than all those guys being as good as people in this forum think they will be.

 

I have us top 6 now. PJ probably gets us top 4. Kuminga at his best maybe we can upset 1 or 2 in the second round. We'd be well set up to compete in a year or 2 as OKC and Spurs make some tough decisions and we gel with continuity. In 2 years, we could have a team of:

Luka (29 years old) / Grimes (28)
Reaves (30) / Carr (24)
Christie (26) / Ziaire (27)
Kuminga (25) / Adou (24)
Kessler (27) / Mamu (29)

Everyone would be in their prime to compete for a few years. I think it would be a shame if Luka can't win 2 or 3 rings in his lakers tenure.

 

I think I've been about as realistic as you this offseason and I've spoken about how multiple things would need to go well for us to have a shot at competing. Namely:

• Luka needs to be healthy and have an MVP season
• Reaves needs to develop into a second option and stay healthy
• Grimes or a new starting 4 needs to step into a legitimate 3rd option
• Kessler needs to stay healthy and have a DPOY level of play and not get played off the floor in the playoffs
• Grimes needs to be a legitimate POA defender and a high quality 3 pt catch and shoot guy
• We need to trade for a 4 that can defend the wings
• Sexton and Mamu have to be very good 6th man pieces
• One of Ziaire, Vando or Jake has to be a good 8th man
• Carr and/or Adou need to be able to be rotational pieces

It's asking alot from the team and some of the above points are probable, possible or unlikely. It's a wide dispersion.

But likewise on the other side, we're going to be an elite True Shooting team, we'll be very good at creating turnovers of the opposite team and our rebounding should improve - especially offensively. So our net rating should be good which generally means we'll be a Top 4 team. I'm not expecting anything more than that.

 

they have insight on a wolves team that traded part of their identity (bruising frontcourt) for lamelo ball? that's a pretty huge philosophical shift, man. maybe it works, but maybe it goes up in flames. yet they get the benefit of the doubt. why? i mean, the guy they dumped to supposedly improve is polishing his ring right now.

 

Calling his miami heat era boring is ridiculous especially with the dramatic dirk finals where the team got lit up and regrouping and beating a young thunder team for his 1st ring. Then following that up with a 27 game win streak, which was entertaining as hell and then beating a great spurs team in an all time classic game 6 and a great game 7 as well. Then losing to that same spurs team a year later while Riley and Lebron are battling each other. That 4 year run was boring? are you kidding me. Just those 4 years alone is a 10 episode doc that rivals the last dance, not to mention his redemption in Cleveland and getting a ring while beating a 73 win warriors team and then finally coming to LA and getting us a ring in one of the weirdest seasons ever which ended in the bubble. Imagine having a home court advantage in the playoffs and never playing in staples/crypto? That is not an entertaining doc right there. Look i love the last dance too but come on, there's also a reason they didnt show Jordans epilogue in the last dance. Whereas if Bron wins one last ring in Philly thats an oscar worthy ending for any nba player.

 

I agree. But i dont think Last years team was as good as their record suggest. In short we can have a worst record this season but still be better team than last years team. I know that sound nuts. Thing is last years team lost 8 consecutive games to OKC. Luka and Austin foul baited a ton with complaining and its something they need to improve on. no one expected them to get those calls in the playoffs. Players were not happy with roles. Van, Lebron, Rui, Ayton to be exact. Lebron camp felt Austin should have been on the bench. To put it into perfective Lakers won 50 games the previous year finished 3rd. Last season won more games 53 and finished 4th. Both teams were not expected to win the title for obvious flaws that would have been exploited. In short can come in at 5th seed but at the same time be more equip to go up against the better teams like OKC.

 

I said “ultimately” as I chose the words carefully meaning next 2-3 years and I’m convinced I’m going to be a lot closer to right them being on the same team together is going to be a great thing towards winning than you are going to be with all your opposite thoughts that Reaves will be what keeps us from competing for a chip. Simple as that. The single caveat, with a good and deep squad around them, is THEIR health. Same as it was for LeBron and AD. Same as any contending team and their top two players. We’ll see. Two totally opposed opinions here with yours remarkably low on how impactful of a player Reaves is.

 

Good point. I think Lakers will be lumped in the 2nd tier like last year.

 

Because Edwards, McDaniels and Gobert are playoffs proven.

 

Yeah I also don't agree with what Minny did. Naz Reid in particular was huge for them. I think teams just get close, feel they have to make a change to get there, and most times it ends up backfiring as they lose the identity of what got them close in the first place, and the assets are also gone.

Feel like this offseason moves can blow up on the Lakers similarly because of the longer-term contracts, and the urgency to maximize Luka's window

 

That’s kind of why I think they didn’t want LeBron because LeBron was never going to fully allow Luka to be Luka. They said all the right things. But this team for it to truly be Luka’s team Lebron had to be off of it.

not the same but similar to the Lakers trading Norm Nixon it had to be Magic’s team.

Now Luka can do all the things he needs to do. Point to the mini camp in Slovenia he’s bringing all the guys together. Even the bonding going to see Backstreet Boys. You have your Byron Scott that’s Quentin Grimes. And trying to get our Worthy Kuminga. The squad is set.

 

I get that Minny thought they needed more playmaking, but I'm trading Randle for someone like Kyrie if I am Minny, and going all in on next year or two.

Assuming Kyrie comes back to 80% of what he was, they could get him for almost zero assets and keep Naz Reid.

Gobert
Reid
Mcdaniel
Edwards
Kyrie

that team would have a limited time window, but would be good enough to compete with OKC and SAS

 

The difference is Lebron was a 3 time champ face of the league generational type player and Davis was a top tier big. Its like teaming Kobe and Pau. This is a bit different. Austin is not an established star, Walker is not a top tier all star big. We can make a case what prevented Davis/Lebron winning more was health as they proved it and won. With Luka/Austin its different. While Luka is a beast we are talking about two players teams target. Lebron Davis played both ends were not targeted players. We are not talking about players that found there grove at 25years. They were two legit lotto picks that lead teams. you cant compare the two teams.

 

this team is structured more as an OKC. Shai Jalen Williams and Chet


Luka Reaves and Kessler.

 

I figured that was coming and thought I had better add I’m NOT comparing them. But then I also expect people to read and added “same” as any contending team needing their best two players “healthy” to give their team the best chance at winning a chip. Apparently no one gives a crap with the anti Reaves as a winning player agendas or observations other than their talking points. Without going off still more with yours …. are you actually going to tell me that was NOT a true statement?

You aren’t even close to talking about what I was talking about with Carlyle describing the kind of competitor Luka is and his savant level intelligence with the game. That maybe his opinion of Reaves holds more water than yours or any other of the Reaves detractors.

 

kind of but still different. Austin went undrafted and was a role player for many seasons, Walker was a 1st at 22. Luka a 1st but drafted by Dallas. So OKC was built from the draft. We traded for both Luka and Walker and Austin situation has always been a topic of should he play 6th man should he be traded for a star. Austin is a late bloomer. So we are putting a team together based on potential not what each player accomplished. Okc was was not an accomplished bunch either just smart or lucky drafting team building and development. Not sure we fit into that development bracket.

 

Wo lol. I just realize

I do understand health but that hold for any team. What if Lakers did not play insane at the end of the season and play more strategic? Would Luka and Austin go still go down? where does managing the team and sacrifice comes in? my point is all teams deal with health issues and yes if important players get hurt it hampers your ability to compete at your highest level. My argument is you can be at your peak and still not be good enough to win. You can also be more strategic vs personal MVP goals or Pay? Cavs dominated the East Indy was a sleeper. My point is we cant chalk everything up to health as it has so many other factors. If it was just health why would Lakers see a need to get younger and more athletic? They notice they were not going to survive vs younger more athletic physical teams. even when healthy their defense was an issue. And yes to this point we dont know if teaming two none defensive players can net a title. we are trying to get players and give it a shot. Also yes Austin as a second option on a championship level team is still a topic of debate. While its not impossible its also not just boils down to health.

 

I’m saying the structure of the team is very similar. Not where they came from.

in terms of the team we are putting together.

 

@Idawg
So you really just don’t give a bleep about my whole point in that last paragraph that I made in the very first post? Can you try “focussing” and answering that and even admit there is a freaking chance Luka knows more about why this choice he requested and the Lakers did, out of necessity in the first place, than what YOUR opinion negatively about Reaves is? That one simple point I made and even said MAYBE with it. You can’t even acknowledge the possibility?