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

Lakers likely wouldn't have known Smart was going to be available. If they did know, the correct move would have been to not sign LaRavia. But, it's easy to say that in hindsight. Now, Goodwin likely stays with Phoenix. Lakers could get similar players like Ellis, or Dort, though.

 

I wish we could have kept Goodwin, but if we had to do it over I still pick Smart without hesitation. In a vacuum maybe Goodwin was better than year, but Smart’s experience and reputation sets the culture and we saw the difference in our defense with him on/off the court. In retrospect maybe they should have offloaded Dalton, but there was still reason to be optimistic he could grow into his role here.

 

He's the best coach who ever lived!!!! Just ask him!!!

 

Disagree I think Jake is a more valuable player for the Lakers. Room for and likelihood of continued growth as a player plus even this year was more valuable for us than Jordan would have been. Bigger stronger player and similarly effective on defense, with an offensive game that will improve.

 

Keep dropping that price this summer. He's a RFA so he's still going to cost $30m a year if you want to poach.

For those worried about injuries with him, Herb or whatever other defensive wing we target, I don't think you can expect a full season out of any of them, not with how active they have to be in today's league. If you can get them for around 70% of the season (60-ish games), I think that's a win. The goal is to have multiple defenders though (even if they're not at the same impact level) so during those 20-25 total games, your defense doesn't completely collapse.

Just look at games played this year:
Smart - 62
Dort - 69
Herb - 56
Watson - 54
AC - 56
Holiday - 53
Brooks - 56
OG - 67
Eason - 60

Then you have your outliers on both sides:

Bridges and Camara both played all 82, Daniels at 76, McDaniels at 73 (but still got hurt).

Then guys like Thybulle and GP2 are always hurt (even though GP played a lot this year).

 

Yeah the ones that play a lot cost 4 FRPs. I want 3 of those other guys in the roster next summer. Smart + 2. I don't mind whatever else we get that summer, those 2 additional spots are the key of this summer


Btw, Mark Williams missed an elimination game due to a foot problem. Let's see how he does in the playoffs, but maybe we are starting to see what drove the decision to revoke the trade

 

Great points, regarding needing defensive perimeter depth, due to injury concerns. This idea lines up with sk2408's plan to get multiple perimeter defenders.

Maybe we attempt to upgrade our perimeter defense as soon as draft-day? I'm sure OKC doesn't want to help us, but we can't let that stop us from attempting to get Dort for a future 1st. That would immediately give us one bonified 3 and D player, who is capable of guarding both the POA and the wing. If OKC doesn't want to trade with us, then we look elsewhere. Maybe we inquire about players like Suggs, Mikal Bridges, and Wiggins. We might even be able to get a capable 3 and D player or rim-protector with our #24 pick. If we manage to get Dort, we could shift are focus to Watson, who could get with our remaining 30-million or so in cap-room. But, Lebron and Smart would both have to agree to one of them taking the room-exception, and the other taking the minimum (unlikely). Thybulle could be the type of player that we could ad to a prove-it deal with a vet-minimum. If the Lakers get Dort on draft day, and they want to prioritize quantity over quality, they could instead sign a free-agent like Ellis, and realistically bring back Lebron and Smart for respectably amounts. But, I feel like Lebron would be more likely to cooperate for fellow Klutch players, like Watson and Dort. But that second trade involving Suggs, Bridges, Wiggins, or someone else might be ideal, if it means we are able to off-load some of our one-dimensional players, like Vando, Ayton, and Knecht. Kennard and Rui are also one-dimensional players. We could just let them walk, and replace them with more 3 and D talent, to add thee depth you are talking about, and to really lean into a defensivish identity.