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

I'd be very happy with the following:
Ayton signing
Wiggins via Gabe/Vando/DK - no way I give up Rui especially with DFS gone.
Need a POA PG who can defense still

Alhough I think it's bonkers a team could sign Ayton and Nance/Brown/THJ for the minimum.

 

a vast expanse. i'm not as bullish as LT, but i definitely don't see the sky as falling. i'm waiting to see what happens--contrary to a lot of sentiment, we don't know yet how this ends.

i'll go "kangz"* here and raise you an "if DFS was so great, why did the lakers let him walk?"

sometimes a player can be good and not fit neatly into your plans. not saying laravia will be a great signing. i'm lukewarm on him. but being given up on doesn't necessarily mean you're bad.

*sorry paying derozan and schroder that kind of money in successive seasons tells me you just don't pay attention to anything ever. i know schroder is beloved here, but he's a tpmle player.

agree with all this. but i will also say from years of nba fandom that "winning the offseason" and winning in the regular season aren't as correlated as we believe.

but denver...yikes...i had them in a death spiral and:

i don't think horford AND ayton is a reasonable expectation. i'll say that if we traded DFS for laravia and ayton--whilst keeping the expirings and picks and knecht--i'd have called that a win. not a big win, but a win. if we added melton or horford, again without losing other assets...big win.

i would ask the same scrutiny when cranjis agrees with our opinion, as he's used as a hammer of thor in arguments a lot when...he's wrong a lot.

i'll reiterate that NAW was chucked aside and was the FA headliner this year. the key is to get them BEFORE that. laravia is an attempted swing. i'm good with it. can't understand why it wasn't literally 15% smaller of a contract so that it's BAE instead of MLE, but i'm guessing the FO knows stuff i don't. something others should consider.

 

Agree about the Queens. Halliburton. Bet they wish they didn’t make that trade. I understand that letting a player walk is different. But the general point…is that they make bad decisions often. And his game will mesh with AR, Bron, and Luka.

 

they almost never make good decisions. i just wish we could benefit once, lol.

like, they picked up keon ellis's option rather than putting him in RFA or negotiating a new contract. i don't understand this at all.

he'll be unrestricted next summer, is on a contract that extending makes little sense (i think), and thus is not very valuable as a trade chip now, either.

in some ways, i'm happy, as it might mean we can just sign him outright as a crucial missing piece next summer.

but if they were smart, they work out a deal this year and trade him later if he doesn't fit in the plan. he's young and plays a role that LOTS of teams need played.

anyway, that's just one in a sea of wtfs from them. honestly, haliburton for sabonis is meh compared to things like this and paying a first for kevin huerter.

 

Dave reiterates what he said on ESPNLA



Charlotte does stuff

 

My God, he's made nearly 60 million in his career
Take 1/2 of that away in taxes, agent fees, etc and he took home 30 million.

The NBA players union should just frankly confiscate more money from these guys to bulk up the pension so these idiots don't shoot themselves in the foot like this

 

Is it just me, or does Jake Fischer look like a Kyle Mooney character? Who’s who?

 

Tomorrow is going to be our big day.

 

Stone Hansen is my boy. The best evaluator of NBA talent I know.

 

Shlit maybe the big trade is Gianis. Milwaukee tearing it down. Lillard is his boy.

They give Turner big money have him under team control. Next years draft is loaded. Or maybe they just want to flip for flexibility.

Maybe Gianis told Milwaukee quietly trade me to L.A.


and that’s where we get several of Lakers rotational players. That ain’t for Kessler. The Luka contract extension commitment.

2031 1st round draft pick unprotected. Dalton Knect Austin Reaves Rui Hachimura Gabe Vincent.

for Gianiss. That’s maybe the trade all I can think of Superstar Center

or a package with Utah that brings Kessler and Lauri Markanan

you sign Ayton.

and now you have

Luka

Laurvia

Lebron

Vando

Gianiss

Bench of James Amou and you gotta fill it out with guys like Simmons Paul and Melton.

 

Maybe Kuzma coming back.

 

yeah, pretty sure that's not it.

 

That’s when guys throw games and point shave. As deep as Beasley was. Black eye for the NBA. You thought Jeonty Porter was bad?

 

All this waitin sure is frustrayton

 

Last time Lakers were quiet like this. We got Luka. I’m just saying.

 

And Lebrons been quiet to.

 

Would be so rich to have Gianiss traded here. And see Houston go nuts after trading their capital for Durant give Doree Finney Smith the contract just to see Gianiss in a Laker uniform.

 

Luka

Laruvia

Gianiss

Lebron

Ayton

bench James Simmons Paul Kuzma if he’s part of the trade. Now that’s a mark Walters trade. Maybe we sign Melton to. And Anou.