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

I think it really boils down to whether we want to trade expirings with assets to add potentially imperfect fits to a team with LeBron still on it, or wait until the summer and have more flexibility in the players we pursue but with the knowledge that we're probably adding them to a team without LeBron. Because I'm really starting to think that he's going to go do the farewell tour in Cleveland next year unless we vault ourselves into true contender status.

If we just let the expirings expire and use cap space in the summer, we probably have a better chance of bringing in one or two solid role players on Luka and Austin's timeline. But if that means LeBron walks, is that team better than if we added say Ellis and KCP before the deadline this season? The summer cap space team is probably in a better position long term, but might actually be a worse team than the in-season trade team.

I really don't know what I think about it. Part of me wants to go all in on this team, part of me understands the summer cap space route. Part of me wants to trade Austin for Giannis because OKC (and the Spurs, to a lesser extent) are so good already while also being younger than us that I think we need another big swing. It's a tough path to navigate.

 

Austin for Giannis this season includes gutting the roster and our pick(s) just to match salaries, as we’re not going to get the “Nico” friendly deal twice plus Austin probably doesn’t want to play in frigid winter no golf Wisconsin on a rebuilding team and of course is a free agent. Next to no chance he re-ups there.

#StuffItHorry

 

First of all, it's not going to happen. But that said, I don't think a Giannis trade "guts the roster". It would probably be Austin/Rui/Gabe/Kleber for Giannis. I think most of us here agree that Gabe and Kleber have been pretty useless and other guys should be playing ahead of them? So it's really just Austin/Rui for Giannis, two legit rotation players for one. It's not like when the Knicks traded Gallo, Felton, Chandler and Mozgov, who all actually played for them, for Melo.

I also think Austin, if he wasn't here, would re-sign anywhere that offered him the most money. He's 27, hasn't made a ton of money in his career as a former UDFA, and has had exactly one season that would warrant him getting a $40+ million contract. I don't think he can afford to be as picky as you suggest.

But it's all a moot point because it's not going to happen.

 

yeah, adding lebron to cleveland on a vet min makes some sense, though tbh, he'd probably have a better chance at a ring if he vet min'd here in addition to us using our space, right?

with ellis being my big summer target, i'd take getting him in-season over waiting. the FA pool doesn't look super deep this year, so if we can get someone at ellis-level, we should probably just trade for them now.

i suppose i'm ignoring the salary absorption possibilities, though--like if a team is trying to get under an apron in order to use the mle or under the cap to sign a FA we're not chasing, we might be able to nab a role player plus some draft capital.

i think i'm pretty firmly out on the giannis stuff. i get the interest, but i feel like we should play the long game. okc and SA both rely heavily on big guys who get hurt a lot. i'd prioritize bites at the apple a la denver. they got their two stars in jokic/murray and then just built the right team around them and have tweaked and tweaked. we can do that with luka/reaves and get similar results, imo.

 

I agree with this. But, I do feel like he is going to be more expensive to trade for than people think. Its a supply and demand issue with the 3 and D players. That's why I don't have a problem with including our over rated by a some Lakers fans 2031 1st for Ellis. Even then, Sacramento might not go for it. I'm thinking the deal could be something like Rui + Knecht + 2031 1st + 2032 swap for Monk + Ellis. If we end up getting Ellis for much less, then great.

 

i think we have to really be careful about taking monk AND giving up the picks. it would be either/or for me, as i'm perfectly willing to wait the whole thing out.

i actually think it would be great for us to get thiero and nick smith some reps this season in real action to see what we have before we have to start making big decisions about the roster.

 

It would be great to see Thiero and Smith get reps. Smith does seem to have a knack for getting steals and deflections, although he is not generally regarded as a good defender. I think he has defensive upside (unlike Monk). But it depends on where the Lakers sit in regards to their desire to win now. If they want a plan that improves their ability to win now, while also obtaining players that are in Luka/Ausitn/DA's timeline, the the Sacramento trade might be the trade.